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‘Top Gun’ 30th Anniversary: Anatomy of the Iconic (and Homoerotic) Volleyball Scene

Look inside the famous shirtless ‘n’ sweaty sequence with Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer 30 years later

Meriah Doty | May 9, 2016 @ 10:38 AM

In the thirty years since “Top Gun” was released, its sporty, bro-mantic volleyball scene has been parodied and oft-mocked for its not-so-subdued sexuality, set to the tune of Kenny Loggins’ “Playing With the Boys.”

Director Tony Scott knew full well that women and men alike would likely be titilated by the sight of shirtless actors Tom Cruise (Maverick), Anthony Edwards (Goose), Val Kilmer (Iceman) and Rick Rossovich (Slider) — and eagerly put the film’s pretty-boy pilots on fully oiled display.

“I didn’t have a vision of what I was doing other than just doing soft porn,” Scott recalled with a laugh in an interview featured in the film’s 30th anniversary Blu-ray/DVD.

Also Read: 'Top Gun': 30 Things You Didn't Know About Tom Cruise's 30-Year-Old Classic (Photos)

Yes, the scene was homoerotic by design, arguably the best expression of Scott’s onscreen interpretation of Bruce Weber’s photography. Speaking of which, if you’d like to see a gallery of shots from the volleyball scene, we’ve got you covered — just click here to experience a pile of sexy stills.

Now famous for his provocative fashion and celebrity photography, Weber’s first book served as inspiration for the look of the Navy pilots depicted in “Top Gun.”

“Handsome, young, virile bodies in the military, and guys in the sand, and the sweat,” Rossovich recalled in an interview on the new Blu-ray.

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The volleyball scene was the one that Scott, who died in 2012, said he struggled with the most. And Paramount executives were nervous about it, too, frightened that Scott may have been taking too much inspiration from Weber — whose artistic photos of nude and scantily clad men were most popular within the gay community at the time.

In the scene, Maverick and Goose play volleyball against Mav’s ultimate adversary, Iceman, and his co-pilot Slider. Aside from that beat, there’s not much more story told during the sweaty sequence except for the buildup of Maverick’s impending hot date with Charlie (Kelly McGillis).

He keeps checking his watch between plays to ensure he gets to Charlie’s house at 5 p.m. — “sharp” as she instructs, in a previous scene. Eventually, he’s late for his first date with the flight instructor, so all that watch-checking somehow didn’t work to his advantage. (Incidentally, there is at least one shot in the scene that’s a clearcut filmmaking gaffe: When Maverick high-fives Goose between plays, his watch is missing!)

Also Read: Jerry Bruckheimer Teases 'Top Gun 2' in New Photo With Tom Cruise (Photo)

In order to make up for what little story is told, the sequence relies heavily on action, music video-style editing, and close-ups.

“I always suspected Tom Cruise might have cooked my volleyball close-ups,” Kilmer lightheartedly recalled in another DVD interview. “If you notice, I don’t have any.” Cooked means the frames were either over or underdeveloped. “I think Tom went in there, a little payola [to get them excised] because I looked good.”

Aside from knowing he needed to flaunt some young, attractive bodies in front of moviegoers, Scott was completely flummoxed. “I knew I had to show off all the guys, but I didn’t have a point of view… so I just shot the shit out of it,” he recalled. “I got the guys to get all their gear off and their pants and sprayed them in baby oil,” he said.

Also Read: Tom Cruise Holds His Breath for 6 Minutes in 'Mission: Impossible' Underwater Stunt (Video)

Capturing the fighter jet ariels required painstaking levels of effort by filmmakers — from winning approval from skeptical U.S. Navy leaders to mounting cameras to the planes. By comparison, the setup for the volleyball scene was laughably simple. The production brought in a dump truck of sand, put up a net and filmed it in a matter of hours.

“Tony got the sun just right where he wanted it, and it was just diving into the dirt, into the sand, and having a ball and digging it out,” recalled Rossovich.

When it came to those expert spikes, real volleyball players, oiled up and styled to look like the actors, were used as stand-ins.

Rossovich added some extra acting prowess to the sporty sequence, showing a closeness with Iceman (Kilmer) by putting him in a friendly headlock and performing muscleman poses — which all made the final cut. “I don’t really take care of myself the way I used to,” a visibly aged Rossovich said with a laugh. “But I always have that.”

“Top Gun: 30th Anniversary Steelbook (Limited Edition)” is out now, ahead of the film’s 30th anniversary on May 16.

'Top Gun': 30 Things You Didn't Know About the Tom Cruise Classic (Photos)

Now that "Top Gun" is revving up for a sequel, TheWrap counts down 30 facts about the iconic movie you may not have already known.

(The facts not directly cited in this gallery came from the 30th anniversary edition Blu-ray/DVD of "Top Gun.")
Paramount Pictures
1. The role of Maverick was written expressly for Cruise -- whose performance in "All the Right Moves" gave the writers inspiration for the part.
Fox
2. Cruise was initially reluctant to take the role of Maverick, but his mind was immediately changed after his first time up in the air with The Blue Angels.
Paramount Pictures
3. Val Kilmer initially turned down the part of Iceman until director Tony Scott tracked him down and passionately recruited him.
Paramount Pictures
4. When it was in the casting phase, "Top Gun" became the hot title around town. Nearly all young Hollywood men wanted to be involved, including a very young Charlie Sheen, who was said to be willing to take any part, even a small one. (He didn't get one.)
Orion Pictures
5. Scott's original vision for the film was "'Apocalypse Now' in an aircraft carrier." He later realized it was a "definite popcorn movie... the rock 'n' roll stars of the sky."
Paramount Pictures
6. The original script called for Goose's death to be the result of a midair collision. The Navy wouldn't approve that, so they changed it to a scenario that was more plausible, depicting an accident that actually happened (but didn't result in death).
Paramount Pictures
7. The look of the actors in the pilot program was inspired by Bruce Weber's photography, specifically his first book featuring scantily clad (and some nude) male models in a military theme.

Also Read: ‘Top Gun': A Short History of the Volleyball Scene (Photos)
Bruce Weber
8. The original title of the film was "Top Guns" -- plural.
Paramount Pictures
9. Kelly McGillis' love interest character, Charlie, was originally supposed to be an officer. But the Navy wouldn't approve a script involving two officers fraternizing. Filmmakers needed the Navy's involvement, so they changed her profession to that of a Navy consultant, one who assesses pilot performance.
Paramount Pictures
10. Scott had to fight the studio to cast McGillis. Execs wanted a younger "more fashionable" actress to play opposite Cruise.
Paramount Pictures
11. Remember John Stockwell, who plays Cougar in a memorable scene at the beginning of the film when he gets so scared he struggles to land his jet? He’s gone on to direct sun-soaked popcorn flicks like 2002’s “Blue Crush,” with Kate Bosworth and Michelle Rodriguez, and 2005’s “Into the Blue,” with Paul Walker and Jessica Alba, along with the 2006 horror movie “Turistas.”
Paramount Pictures
12. The love scene was shot after filming wrapped. Yes, there was no love scene in the script!
Paramount Pictures
13. McGillis' hair was different by that time, she recalled in a 2013 interview, so that's why the sexy sequence made use of silhouettes and dim lighting. (McGillis' wrong hairdo is also why she wore a hat in the elevator sequence, also part of reshoots.)
Paramount Pictures
14. McGillis, knew Kilmer before the movie, she revealed in the aforementioned interview. They went to Julliard together.

Also Read: ‘Top Gun’ Star Kelly McGillis Is ‘Armed and Ready’ After Terrifying Home Invasion
Paramount Pictures
15. Encouraged by filmmakers to do so, the cast partied a whole lot during the production in order to get into character. "I remember it being one giant weekend as far as making the thing," recalls Kilmer in the film's DVD commentary.
Paramount Pictures
16. Hanging out constantly, the lead cast also played basketball, tennis, and went to the driving range.

Also Read: ‘Top Gun’ 30th Anniversary: Anatomy of the Iconic (and Homoerotic) Volleyball Scene
Paramount Pictures
17. In order to keep their onscreen rivalry alive, either Cruise would join the group of partying cast mates or Kilmer would. But the two never hung out together.
Paramount Pictures
18. According to Barry Tubb, who played Wolfman, the cast would pile into Kilmer's van (a vehicle in which Kilmer claimed he lost his virginity). They would use it to "wreak havoc across the Mexican boarder" before racing back for their call time on set.
Paramount Pictures
19. Kilmer ad-libbed when he coughed the line "bullshit" in the hangar scene.
Paramount Pictures
20. Pilot Art Scholl was killed while performing a stunt during filming. He intentionally dove into a spin to capture it on a camera mounted inside the plane and failed to recover, making impact with the Pacific Ocean.
Paramount Pictures
21. Cruise was nervous and stressed, feeling the pressure of carrying the film. "He was as out of his depth as I was," recalled Scott.
Paramount Pictures
22. Edwards and Ryan, who play husband and wife in the film, also dated in real life.
Paramount Pictures
23. Ryan was not Scott's first choice to play Goose's wife. The late director was initially reluctant to cast her because she had been a soap opera actress on "As the World Turns."
CBS
24. The film originated from an article first published in California Magazine.
Paramount Pictures
25. Jack Epps Jr. wrote the movie with Jim Cash, his writing partner on films like “The Secret of My Success” and “Turner & Hooch.” Epps decided “Top Gun” was more of a sports movie than a military film after he went for a real jet ride. “Things happen with such force,” he said of experiencing six Gs of force in midair. “This was one of the greatest athletic things that I’ve ever been involved with in my life.”
Paramount Pictures
26. The so called "Top Gun" award for which the pilots in the film compete doesn't actually exist in the real Navy.
Paramount Pictures
27. "We're paying $1 million for Tom Cruise so we gotta show some flesh," recalled technical adviser Pete Pettigrew of what filmmakers said regarding the need for a locker room scene.
Paramount Pictures
28. Then-Paramount executives, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Michael Eisner, didn't like the script. The film was sidelined until a new CEO, Ned Tanen, took over and greenlit it during a lunch meeting. He hadn't even read the screenplay.
Getty Images
29. The actors who played pilots got certified and did a training course with the Navy, including riding in an F-14 jet. Rick Rossovich, who plays Slider, earned the nickname "Rock" after he almost sunk like one in a pool during pilot training before filming.
Paramount Pictures
30. The Navy reported a 500 percent increase in applicants to its aviation program after the film came out, according to the 2004 book “Operation Hollywood: How the Pentagon Shapes and Censors the Movies.”
Paramount Pictures
If you've made it this far, you get the Top Gun award of top Top Gun fans. Reward yourself with this history of the volleyball scene.

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Fighter-pilot blockbuster was released on May 16, 1986

Now that "Top Gun" is revving up for a sequel, TheWrap counts down 30 facts about the iconic movie you may not have already known.

(The facts not directly cited in this gallery came from the 30th anniversary edition Blu-ray/DVD of "Top Gun.")

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