With Tom Cruise reprising his “Top Gun” role in the new sequel “Top Gun: Maverick”, fans may have noticed that while some stars from the original (such as Val Kilmer) are back for brief cameos, that isn’t the case with Kelly McGillis and Meg Ryan.
According to “Top Gun: Maverick” director Joseph Kosinski, that was part of the plan.
“Those weren’t stories that we were throwing around,” Kosinski explained in an interview with Insider.
READ MORE: ‘Top Gun 2’ Producer Reveals Tom Cruise Was ‘Adamant’ About Bringing Val Kilmer Back For Sequel
“I didn’t want every storyline to always be looking backwards,” he added. “It was important to introduce some new characters.”
Back in 2019, McGillis shared her theory about why she wasn’t approached to reprise her role for “Top Gun: Maverick”.
“I’m old, and I’m fat, and I look age-appropriate for what my age is,” McGillis said in an interview with ET. “And that is not what that whole scene is about.”