Kelly McGillis signed with Paramount Studios in the
mid-80s to make two features films. The first, “Witness,” was a huge hit
and earned her a Golden Globe nomination. The actress had some specific
ideas about what she wanted to do in the second movie but the Paramount
brass had already decided: It would be about a group of young test
pilots.
It wasn’t exactly the film McGillis would
have picked for herself, but “Top Gun” went on to become the biggest box
office draw of 1986 , taking in more than $176 million. From its
driving Kenny Loggins tune “Danger Zone” to the catch phrase “I feel the
need, the need for for speed,” “Top Gun” became a hit and remains as
high-flying as ever.
A 25th anniversary edition
will be released Tuesday. It includes a six-part documentary on the
making of the film and interviews with cast and crew.
“I
never thought the film would be considered a classic, it was just a fun
movie to make,” McGillis says. “It had good-looking people and great
visuals. It was pure entertainment and a way for people to escape and
forget their problems.”
Director Tony Scott
combined the action of a group of hot shot pilots , played by Tom
Cruise, Val Kilmer and Anthony Edwards , with a love story between a
cocky pilot, known as Maverick (Cruise), and his civilian instructor
(McGillis).
Scott had such a clear vision of how
he wanted the movie to look that McGillis and Cruise had to go to the
airport tarmac every day for a week just so a scene had the right light.
McGillis,
54, was willing to get a little nostalgic for the re-release of “Top
Gun,” but generally she looks at the present and future. After taking
some time off to raise her two daughters, McGillis has started slowly
getting back into acting. She finds most casting directors are surprised
to see she’s not that same-looking twentysomething who broke hearts in
“Top Gun.”
“People in this business are trying to
look perpetually 30 years old. But, people get older. I don’t want to
color my hair. I don’t want to do that stuff to try to look younger. I
want to be who I am. I want to be a character actress,” McGillis says.
“I hope that I get to work but it’s all out of my control.”
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©2011 The Fresno Bee (Fresno, Calif.)
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