Top Gun: Maverick star Jennifer Connelly reveals the scene in the movie that had to be reshot because Tom Cruise deemed it “boring.” Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the sequel to 1986’s Top Gun sees Cruise return as hotshot pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, this time to train new pilots for a high-stakes mission. Although the Top Gun: Maverick reviews raved about the movie’s intense aerial sequences, the romance between Maverick and Penny (Connelly) was a crucial part of the story that helped give Maverick more emotional depth.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Connelly reveals that Penny and Maverick’s sailboat scene in Top Gun: Maverick wasn’t originally working for Cruise.
According to Connelly, Cruise decided that the scene was lacking in excitement and that it could be reshot to more effectively establish Penny as a character. Check out Connelly’s full comment below:
“Originally, we shot a sailing scene in San Diego. It was a beautiful, beautiful boat. We saw dolphins. It was great. We did the scene, we’re sitting out there, and Tom goes, ‘No, this is boring.’ I was like, ‘Oh.’ [Laughs] He was like, ‘It’s not fast enough. It’s not cool enough. It’s not fast enough. I want Penny to be really strong’ and he was right.
“We went to San Francisco, where it’s super windy, and it was an entirely different experience. We’re like getting soaked, and the wind. It’s so much better. And, like I was saying, we don’t have that much time with those characters to establish who they are. So a gesture like that, okay she’s sailing a boat and it’s calm and lovely versus she’s sailing this boat, and it’s this really like high-octane adrenaline experience. I think it was a great choice.”
Will Penny & Maverick’s Romance Storyline Continue In Top Gun 3?
There Are Several Directions The Franchise Could Go In
Top Gun: Maverick was a major success both critically and commercially in 2022. It’s no surprise, then, that Top Gun 3 is confirmed to be in development, with both Kosinski and Cruise expected to return. It’s been reported that both Miles Teller and Glen Powell are also being eyed to return as Rooster and Hangman, respectively.
Unfortunately, it’s unclear at this early stage in development whether any other members of the Top Gun: Maverick cast will return, and that includes Connelly. The first film ends with Maverick and Penny taking a ride in Maverick’s P-51 Mustang, seemingly now as a couple, but a sequel may not continue this happy ending. To add drama and conflict to the story, it’s likely that Maverick and Penny’s relationship won’t be smooth sailing if it does return to be a focus of the next movie.
It’s also possible, however, that Top Gun 3 won’t include Penny at all. Maverick and Penny could still be happily together in the world of the film, but the story could instead focus on fleshing out other characters’ relationships. Many questions remain about the future of the franchise, but Cruise was evidently interested in making Maverick and Penny’s relationship as compelling as possible in Top Gun: Maverick.