Tom Cruise was on a charm offensive as he visited a US Navy aircraft carrier in Adriatic Sea for a special Top Gun: Maverick screening on Friday.
The actor, 60, led the visit to USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) which included a screening of the blockbuster movie in the ship’s hangar bay and a meet-and-greet with sailors aboard the vessel.
He was joined by Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham, producer Christopher McQuarrie and editor Eddie Hamilton.
The visit is timely with Top Gun: Maverick being nominated for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Original Song, Best Visual Effects and Best Sound at the 95th Oscars this Sunday.
The blockbuster surpassed global sales of $1.4 billion, making it Paramount Pictures’ most successful film ever and landing it in the top 10 movies of all time.
Rear Adm. Dennis Velez, commander, CSG-10, George H.W. Bush CSG, said in a press release: “I know our sailors will never forget that night in the hangar bay, and I am equally as certain that neither will Mr Cruise.
“The sailors of the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group represent what is best about America. Their commitment and courage is on display every day, and I know Tom and his entire team left with a fuller appreciation of the capabilities and power of US Navy’s carrier strike groups - and the dedication and grit of our sailors that make it all possible.”
Capt. Dave Pollard, the aircraft’s carrier and commanding officer, himself a Top Gun graduate and instructor, said: “While Top Gun will always be an American and Navy classic, Tom, Chris, Eddie, and their team outdid themselves with Top Gun: Maverick.
“Every minute they spent with the crew of our mighty warship paid dividends toward our crews morale from the top-down.
“It buoys my spirits to know that the leading entertainers and filmmakers of our day not only conceptually know what we do, but they can relate to what our nations warriors do on a daily basis through their personal experiences aboard USS George.”
