When Tom Cruise fluffed his lines and forged an iconic movie moment
The prospect of Tom Cruise forgetting his lines is unthinkable. The A-list megastar has been a bastion of professionalism ever since he first burst onto the scene and set his sights on conquering Hollywood.
He’d manage exactly that in the summer of 1986 when Tony Scott’s Top Gun soared into cinemas to become an era-defining blockbuster classic. At no point since then has the actor ever looked close to coming down from his lofty pedestal.
He’s been in danger a couple of times, though, with his couch-jumping shenanigans on Oprah turning him into a laughing stock for a while, but he was at least smart enough to stop talking about all the Scientology stuff in public. He’s still the poster boy for the organisation, but he’s not exactly going to be heralding the omnipotent presence of Xenu on the red carpet.
It’s a cliché to say the most inspiring figures always lead from the front, but it’s completely true in Cruise’s case. There’s barely a peer, contemporary, or former colleague that has a bad word to say about the man, whether he’s performing dramatic scenes, leaping from great heights, or indulging in his unabashed love of running as fast as he possibly can. A director’s dream, a pro’s pro, and a daredevil extraordinaire, he’s more than earned his seat at the top table through hard work and determination.
However, he did once completely fluff his lines on the set of a major motion picture, which is a faux pas that would never be expected of a talent in his stratosphere. This being Cruise, of course, he immediately turned a negative into a positive by improvising one of the many unforgettable moments from Top Gun.
When Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell and Kelly McGillis’ Charlie Blackwood are right on the cusp of declaring their lust for each other after pretending the chemistry between them is non-existent, they were initially supposed to share many words to that extent. Instead, his mind having gone blank, Cruise decided that instead of admitting to his blunder and calling for another take with the dialogue fresh in his mind, he’d simply kiss her off the cuff.
Ironically, it said more than any long-winded monologue ever could, with that moment cementing their transition from bickering rivals to star-crossed lovers. It still wasn’t sexy enough for the studio, right enough, who demanded that a sex scene be added in reshoots to inject a little more titillation into Top Gun. Unfortunately, McGillis had drastically changed her hair since the end of principal photography, which is why their first time creating the beast with two backs is cloaked in softcore-style shadow and silhouette.
