“They Were Angry.” Iconic Scene from Top Gun Almost Got Director Tony Scott Fired
Today it is one of the most famous scenes in Top Gun, but when the movie was made, it almost led to Tony Scott losing his job.
A volleyball scene with Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer was included in Top Gun and has become one of the most iconic. But it turns out that it angered executives at Paramount so much that it may have cost director Tony Scott his job.
It has remained a pop-culture phenomenon for 38 years, and Scott devoted an entire shooting day to it, despite the fact that it was seemingly a non-essential scene. Paramount executives were therefore not only surprised, but also angry by the filmmaker's decision, which they could not understand at the time.
In a Behind the Screen podcast, editors Chris Lebenzon and Billy Weber talked about how Scott managed to upset the studio behind the movie.
That scene was scripted as a real game. They kept score and everything, and Tony shot it like a commercial, and they [executives] were angry.
The studio was so pissed off. The head of production, Charlie McGuire, he said, “I’m gonna fire him,” meaning Tony, because he spent a whole day shooting this scene. And then of course it turns out it’s one of the most famous scenes in the movie.
Tony Scott knew perfectly well what he was doing. And happily, his decision to include this scene in the film did not cost him his position, allowing him to complete Top Gun.
Interestingly, despite the fact that the volleyball scene had been so critically reacted to in the past, when it was decided years later to shoot a similar one in the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, much more importance was attached to it. It was no longer just an unwanted bit, but a scene that was cared for enough that when it didn't live up to the hype, it was decided to reshoot it.