Top Gun star Anthony Edwards, who played Goose in the 1986 film, has reacted to Top Gun: Maverick's treatment of the beloved character's legacy.
Fans of the original movie will remember Goose as Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell's (Tom Cruise) light-hearted flight school co-pilot, who tragically dies while ejecting from the F-14 jet he and Maverick were forced to abandon during a training exercise.
Although Goose does not appear in the sequel, his memory is carried on through a barrage of images and flashbacks, as well as through his son, Lt Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw, played by Miles Teller.
Related: Why Top Gun: Maverick has been a record-breaking hit
While speaking with Entertainment Tonight at the Tribeca Film Festival on Thursday (June 9), Edwards joked: "It's the biggest movie that I'm in that I never had to show up for a day of work, so it was fun."
He went on to praise the film's treatment of Goose, giving it his seal of approval.
"People had a certain feeling in the original one, and [Top Gun: Maverick] does exactly what it felt like seeing it the first time, only more so," Edwards explained.
"As I said to Tom, mission accomplished. They did it. They really did, though. It's a lot of work that went into that. It had the feel, it had the tone, it had what people wanted."
Related: Val Kilmer responds to his emotional Top Gun: Maverick appearance
Edwards also revealed that, while he did not attend the Maverick world premiere, Cruise found another way to give him a sneak peek at the film.
"If you do the first movie, you're lucky enough," he said. "I was lucky enough that Tom called me up. He screened it for me in person."
He added: "So, we actually saw it at the Dolby screening room here in New York with the best sound ever, and there was just, like, eight of us watching it. It was fantastic."
Top Gun: Maverick is now playing in UK and US cinemas.
![Top Gun – 4K Ultra HD [Blu-ray] [2020] [Region Free]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1623254447-51aVUJxpYxL._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Top Gun – 4K Ultra HD [Blu-ray] [2020] [Region Free]")
Paramount Top Gun – 4K Ultra HD [Blu-ray] [2020] [Region Free]
Columbia/Legacy Top Gun - Motion Picture Soundtrack (Special Expanded Edition)
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After completing her joint honours degree in Journalism and English Literature at Cardiff University, Iona joined Digital Spy as a Content Production Intern in 2022. In this role, Iona writes across both news and features, specialising in TV and movies. During her time at Digital Spy, she has interviewed multiple Love Island stars, reported from the Black Adam red carpet and, most recently, interviewed the cast of Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid.
