When Filming Top Gun Began in 1986, How Old Was Tom Cruise?

COVID-19 delayed the launch of Maverick from 2019 to 2022. Cruise did not shy away from talking about the picture a little longer during his last presentation, as the release date of the film is quickly approaching.

With only a few days left until the film’s scheduled May 24 release, anticipation is building.

When the First Version of Top Fun Was Released, how Old Was Tom Cruise?

how old was tom cruise in top gun

At the time of the release of the original Top Gun in 1986, Tom, now 59, was only 24 years old. It was one of the films that propelled Cruise to stardom.

When it premiered, the film received a lot of positive buzz from audiences. Support has remained strong over the years from both new and longtime followers. In 2021, Paramount re-released the films in theaters to celebrate the films’ longevity.

Some moviegoers undoubtedly returned to the theaters specifically to see the film a second time. Now that a sequel is in the works, fans can’t wait to see what comes next.

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What We Know About the Movie

how old was tom cruise in top gun

Cruise is already eager for audiences to see the film, and the actor acknowledged that he has worked very hard to ensure that they won’t be let down.

Even for this movie, Cruise made the customary decision to carry out all of his stunts solo. He even piloted a fighter jet and a few helicopters, in fact.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer said Tom was initially going to fly the F-18 Super Hornet when discussing this with Empire. However, the US Navy forbade that because it seemed to be too risky. Jerry did confirm an experienced pilot had been with Cruise even though he does the stunts alone.

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Career Beginning of Tom Cruise

how old was tom cruise in top gun

Tom Cruise, at the tender age of 18, launched his acting career. Like most actors do when first starting out, he had to start out in bit parts. In 1983, he was a part of the cast of The Outsiders, but it wasn’t until he took the lead in Risky Business that his career took off.

After starring in the first Top Gun in 1986, he was guaranteed to forever be a Hollywood A-lister. The film centers on the Navy’s fighter pilot training program known as TOPGUN.

Tom Cruise stars as the film’s reckless protagonist, adrenaline junkie Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, opposite Val Kilmer as Iceman and Anthony Edwards as Maverick’s right-hand man, Goose. The film included numerous air acrobatics, a tragic love story, and several songs that have become pop culture staples.

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The film’s viewers and reviewers were so impressed by his performance that they demanded more of him on the silver screen. Tom Cruise has become one of the most acclaimed actors of all time, with roles in films such as Jerry McGuire, Born on the Fourth of July, and the Mission: Impossible series.

While Tom Cruise had been acting for a while before his breakthrough in 1986’s Top Gun, he was still just 24 years old at the time. With this part, he first gained recognition in the Hollywood industry. Tom Cruise’s ascent to fame in the 1980s was meteoric, spurred by the box office success of Risky Business and Top Gun.

After his success with Top Gun, he went on to star in and receive high praise for his work in the critically acclaimed films The Color of Money and Rain Man within the same decade.

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Final Words

The first time audiences saw Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell was in Top Gun (1986), when he was barely 23 years old. Quick math shows that fans have been chanting Cruise’s debut film’s catchphrase, “I feel the need, the need for speed,” for well over half his life, given that he turns 60 on July 3.