How old was Tom Cruise in Top Gun? Age of the Hollywood star revealed

The year was 1986, Top Gun hit the theaters and made Tom Cruise an overnight sensation. The film was one of Cruise's earliest roles and proved to be his big break. It was directed by Tony Scott, who was also in the early stages of his film career. He had worked with David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve on one of his directorial efforts, but he wasn't nearly as popular as he ended up being.

Scott was reportedly brought in as a director by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. The producing duo was said to be working on the idea of Top Gun since 1983 and was inspired by Ehud Yonay's magazine article titled Top Guns. Around the time of their discussions, Cruise had starred in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders and played the lead in Paul Brickman's Risky Business. He then joined Legend, a fantasy film from Blade Runner director Ridley Scott and Tony Scott's brother.

In an interview on the film's 30-year anniversary, Cruise revealed that he was offered the role of Maverick in 1983. He was working on Ridley's film in London and was curious about the process of filmmaking. Cruise was hesitant at first to star in Tony's film, but Ridley convinced him to take the role that catapulted him into stardom. The production for Top Gun reportedly began in 1965, when Cruise was about 22 years old. At the time of its release, he was 24.

Top Gun: Tracing the legacy of the Tom Cruise starrer

Top Gun brought Tom Cruise to the screens as Navy aviator Maverick. He starred opposite Val Kilmer, who played his on-screen rival Iceman. Sources say that they were not initially going to be a part of this tentpole. However, either due to obligations or persuasion, they became part of this movie that charms movie lovers to date. Luckily, their decision helped them both soar higher in their respective acting careers. The movie was reportedly the highest-grossing film in the domestic market.

Although the film received a mixed reception from critics, the audiences couldn't get enough of the Cruise-Kilmer camaraderie. It earned Kilmer some of the highest praise in his career. The film was also nominated for four Oscars and won one for the song "Take My Breath Away. It led Cruise to receive roles in projects like Born on the Fourth of July, Rain Man, and A Few Good Men. Eventually, he starred in the successful franchise installments of Mission Impossible.

Cruise and Kilmer reunited as Maverick and Iceman in Joseph Kosinski's Top Gun: Maverick, nearly 37 years after the release of the original. It brought them together in a tearjerker moment, which offered an emotional weight to a film otherwise filled with adrenaline rushes. At the time of its release, Cruise was 60 years old. However, he still had a screen presence as commanding as his 20-something self had during the release of the original film.