Top Gun: Maverick star Glen Powell reveals that he got some really perfect advice from Tom Cruise regarding his character, Hangman. More than 35 years after Tony Scott’s original Top Gun, Joseph Kosinski’s sequel soared into theaters earlier this year, earning rave reviews from audiences and critics alike on its way to becoming the highest-grossing movie of the year. The film sees Cruise’s hotshot pilot, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, training a new batch of recruits for a dangerous mission over enemy territory. The new pilots include Miles Teller’s Rooster, Monica Barbaro’s Phoenix, Lewis Pullman’s Bob, Jay Ellis as Payback, Danny Ramirez’s Fanboy, and Powell’s Hangman.
Hangman rescuing Maverick and Rooster in Top Gun: Maverick is one of the movie’s most rewarding moments, and Powell now reveals in one of Variety‘s “Actors on Actors” segments that Cruise gave him some surprising advice to make the scene land. According to Powell, Cruise encouraged him to really lean into Hangman’s more over-confident and arrogant nature throughout the movie. Check out Powell’s full comment below:
“Sometimes you can fall into the trap of wanting to be liked on camera. And in a movie like this, where you know there’s going to be a lot of eyes on it, you don’t want to be Draco Malfoy. But Tom gave me this advice: ‘For the ending to work, you have to completely lean into that. Everybody else in the movie is questioning their own ability. You’re the only guy that’s not questioning it. So if there’s any sort of apology in anything you say, the movie doesn’t work. Lean into the douchebaggery of it all.’”
Could Cruise & Powell Reunite In Top Gun 3?
Top Gun: Maverick is 2022’s highest-grossing movie at the box office so far, but a third movie in the franchise is not yet a guarantee. Despite fan interest and some enthusiasm from stars like Teller, the decision regarding whether Top Gun 3 happens is up to Cruise. With the Mission: Impossible franchise and his expected journey into outer space to shoot a movie with Doug Liman, it’s not clear when the actor will have room in his schedule for another Maverick adventure. If Cruise does return for another Top Gun movie, however, the ending to the most recent sequel sets up a very different dynamic going forward.
The ending to Top Gun: Maverick sees Maverick and Rooster working in harmony with Phoenix, Bob, Payback, and Fanboy to accomplish their mission. Hangman also, for the first time, becomes a key member of the team. Instead of Hangman being in opposition to Rooster and the other pilots, a third movie could see the two men develop a bond just like Maverick and Iceman (Val Kilmer) did after the events of the first Top Gun. This could open up some exciting possibilities regarding the film’s action-packed climax, with Hangman potentially able to play a more pivotal role throughout the sequence instead of just showing up at the very end.
It remains to be seen whether Top Gun 3 will get the green light, but fans would evidently love to see Cruise and the other actors get back into their pilot seats for another adventure. While Hangman can still retain that arrogant side of himself in a prospective third movie, it would be interesting to see how the character acclimates to being part of a more tightly-knit team. Even if a third movie doesn’t happen, however, Top Gun: Maverick is likely to live on and remain popular for just as long as the original film.
Source: Variety