Fanspot
Graduation
“- You! You are still dangerous. You can be my wingman anytime.
– Bullshit. You can be mine.”
Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer) and Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise)
Based in San Diego, the Top Gun production travels around the city, exploiting various locations in the Bay Area. To wrap the graduation sequence, Tony Scott travels to Coronado where he shoots inside the Naval Air Station North Island. Home to several aircraft carriers, the location is strongly linked to the history of the U.S. Navy. A way to give a maximum of authenticity to a film wanted as realistic as possible by its producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, but also by its director Tony Scott, the brother of Ridley Scott.
Ironically, Tom Cruise is not very enthusiastic. He knows that the producers have already proposed the film to John Travolta, their first choice, but also Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Matthew Broderick, Sean Penn, Michael J. Fox, Scott Baio and Tom Hanks, but all have refused. In the midst of his rise, Tom Cruise is already known for choosing his projects carefully and sees Top Gun as a sort of Flashdance in the air. Jerry Bruckheimer then plays on the sensitive cord and underlines the filiation between Tony Scott and Ridley Scott, with whom Tom Cruise has already worked on Legend. The million dollars offered to the actor also largely contributes to his involvement.
Val Kilmer, also under the spotlight after the success of the comedy Top Secret, is reluctant to climb on the aircraft carrier to fly under the eye of Tony Scott. Sharing the same fears as Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer goes backwards to the audition he tries to sabotage. However, the producers like his disdainful side, perfect for the role of Iceman, Maverick’s main rival. Finally, after declaring that he found the script stupid, Val Kilmer is convinced by Tony Scott. More than 35 years later, diminished by a terrible illness, Val Kilmer has been contacted by Tom Cruise himself to reprise his role in the sequel Top Gun: Maverick. He gladly accepted the proposal.
Top Gun is dedicated to Art Scholl, an aerobatic pilot who disappeared at sea during filming following a flat back spin. His body was never found.
North Island
Inaugurated in 1917, this naval base is one of the main ones on the west coast of the United States. It is an integral part of Naval Base Coronado.
The naval base airfield has more than 230 aircraft while two aircraft carriers anchor in its waters, the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The base also houses the Navy’s only deep submerged rescue vehicles. Considered the cradle of naval aviation, it plays a predominant role in the military strategy of the United States. She also shines in pop culture for having played a role in Tony Scott’s classic Top Gun.
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By Gilles Rolland
Passionné de cinéma, de rock and roll, de séries TV et de littérature. Rédacteur de presse et auteur des livres Le Heavy Metal au cinéma, Paroles de fans Guns N' Roses, Paroles de fans Rammstein et Welcome to my Jungle : 100 albums rock et autres anecdotes dépareillées. Adore également voyager à la recherche des lieux les plus emblématiques de la pop culture.