When most people think of Top Gun, the first person that likely comes to mind is Tom Cruise, who played lead character Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. You can’t forget he was surrounded by some talented actors, though, including Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt, Meg Ryan and of course, Val Kilmer. And playing Cruise’s love interest, Charlie Blackwood was Kelly McGillis, who was more than able to stand toe to toe with the leading man. The two had great chemistry, so it might be hard to believe she nearly missed out on the role. According to one of the execs behind the 1986 movie, there were specific studio complaints about McGillis, who ultimately didn’t appear in the 2022 sequel.
