TOM CRUISE 'I LOVE TAKING RISKS'

THE STAR RETURNS TO A BELOVED CHARACTER AND HITS NEW HEIGHTS ON SCREEN

Lieutenant Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell is back. But did he ever really leave? Top Gun is a cult classic film that's stood the test of time - and 36 years on from the OG starring Tom Cruise in the lead role, alongside Val Kilmer's Iceman and Anthony Edwards' Goose, we're blessed with the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick.

Here, 59-year-old Cruise opens up about stepping back into Maverick's iconic shoes, the stunts, Lady Gaga, and his need for speed.

It's been 36 years since the original Top Gun. Does it feel that long?

It really doesn't. Top Gun was an incredible moment for me in my life and career, but while the journey has been a long one from that first movie to this one, it really doesn't feel like 36 years. It's amazing.

At what point did you decide you wanted to come back as Maverick?

Decades ago. It was something we had been talking about for a long, long time. Everywhere I went people would ask me about the possibility of a Top Gun 2, but it was never going to be that easy. We had an idea that it had to be done practically, but I didn't really know how to pull it off. The biggest challenge was the technology required for us to tell the story and show the aerial sequences in the way we wanted to. It had to be right, and it took a lot of commitment and effort from a lot of people to make it happen.

What did you set out to achieve with this movie that the original film didn't?

The goal was really to make it even more of a visceral experience for the audience in terms of the aerial sequences, while still telling a compelling and emotional story with both new and returning characters.

How much flying did you get to do in this movie?