SAN DIEGO — Fans are getting hyped for this week's big screen debut of Top Gun: Maverick. But this long awaited sequel flies in a new squadron of young stars playing the Top Gun pilots.
CBS 8's Carlo Cecchetto sat down with the actors to talk about the movie during the blockbuster's massive San Diego premiere.
Miles Teller who plays "Rooster" in the film, said he's never been a part of a movie quite like Top Gun: Maverick.
"It's the best thing and I've never really been a part of a movie like this, and I've been a part of some big movies. But this is you know, it kills every inch of the screen," Teller said. "People are going to be grinning ear to ear."
For Glen Powell, watching the movie along with a movie theatre audience was an experience he would never forget. "I'll never forget it ever," Powell said.
Powell plays "Hangman" and said movies like Top Gun: Maverick are why he got into acting. "It's the reason that I got into the business in general, which is to make movies of this scale and to do stuff that you've never seen on a screen before," Powell said.
Top Gun: Maverick also features Monica Barbaro as "Phoenix", Jay Ellis as "Payback", Danny Ramirez as "Fanboy" and Greg "Tarzan" Davis as "Coyote". The cast says the electric chemistry seen on screen didn't happen overnight.
"It was funny because when we first met, it was like, maybe I look almost a little bit awkward," Barbaro said. "I didn't say a word for about three days, I think it was,'' Lewis Pullman said who plays "Bob" in the movie.
The stunts of an action film of this level were physically demanding for the actors. But did the actors ever ask themselves: "What did I get myself into?"
"I definitely think we thought that every day for sure. But it was also this thing of like, well, Monica's not tapping out. I'm not tapping out. If Louis isn't tapping out, I'm not tapping like it was this thing of, like, we got competitive with each other," Ellis said.
The actors said experiencing what it feels like to fly in an F-18 jet created a bond with the Navy pilots they trained with. "We all experienced it and we sort of bonded closer with the Navy pilots," David said.