Jennifer Connell got over a ‘crippling fear of flying’ right before shooting Top Gun: Maverick

Top Gun: Maverick star Jennifer Connell says she just got over a ‘crippling fear of flying’ before shooting the film


Jennifer Connelly was scared of airplanes before filming Top Gun: Maverick. 

The 50-year-old actress admitted she was afraid to tell her co-star Tom Cruise about her fear of flying and only signed on to the movie at first because her character was not supposed to have any flight scenes.

Jennifer – who plays the sequel’s female lead, a single mother who runs a local bar near the Navy base – told chat show host Graham Norton: ‘I was actually afraid to tell Tom at the time that I had only just recently talked myself out of a crippling fear of flying.’

Fear of flying: Jennifer Connelly recently admitted she was dealing with a ‘crippling fear of flying’ until right before Top Gun: Maverick

‘When I signed on for the movie there was no flying for my character,’ she explained: ‘I suddenly found myself taxiing on a runway in a tiny plane with Tom and he said, “Have you been on a plane like this before? Have you ever done any aerobatic flying before?”

‘I started to get very nervous when he said, “It will be very graceful and very elegant,” and that’s how I found out I would be up in the P51 with Tom flying it!’ 

Meanwhile, Tom is famous for doing his own movie stunts but admitted this has led to ‘a lot of broken bones’. 

He said: ‘I am a very physical actor and I love doing them. I study and train and take a lot of time figuring it all out. I have broken a lot of bones! 

Hurdles: Jennifer - who plays the sequel's female lead, a single mother who runs a local bar near the Navy base - told chat show host Graham Norton 'I was actually afraid to tell Tom at the time that I had only just recently talked myself out of a crippling fear of flying'

Hurdles: Jennifer – who plays the sequel’s female lead, a single mother who runs a local bar near the Navy base – told chat show host Graham Norton ‘I was actually afraid to tell Tom at the time that I had only just recently talked myself out of a crippling fear of flying’

Let's go: 'I suddenly found myself taxiing on a runway in a tiny plane with Tom and he said, "Have you been on a plane like this before? Have you ever done any aerobatic flying before?"

Let’s go: ‘I suddenly found myself taxiing on a runway in a tiny plane with Tom and he said, “Have you been on a plane like this before? Have you ever done any aerobatic flying before?”

‘The first time of any stunt is nerve-wracking, but it’s also exhilarating. I have been told a few times during shooting a stunt to stop smiling.’ 

Unfortunately fans are going to be waiting a minute for the film’s release.

While the high flying action sequel was meant to arrive in theaters July 2 this year it has now been bumped to November 19, Deadline reported yesterday. 

However November 19 was previously meant to be the release date of the seventh Mission: Impossible movie so both that film and its sequel have to be pushed back.  

Going the distance: Meanwhile, Tom is famous for doing his own movie stunts but admitted this has led to 'a lot of broken bones'

Going the distance: Meanwhile, Tom is famous for doing his own movie stunts but admitted this has led to ‘a lot of broken bones’

Meanwhile: Top Gun: Maverick is a sequel to the iconic 1986 action drama Top Gun (pictured) that helped propel Tom to the stardom he enjoys today

Meanwhile: Top Gun: Maverick is a sequel to the iconic 1986 action drama Top Gun (pictured) that helped propel Tom to the stardom he enjoys today

Top Gun: Maverick has had to undergo a string of postponements stretching back to even before the coronavirus pandemic. 

Its initial release date was for July 2019, then it was pushed to summer 2020. Then lockdown necessitated its delay to two days before last Christmas.

As the year 2020 rumbled on even a winter release appeared unfeasible for various reasons including schedule changes for other movies.

Consequently the film, a sequel to Tom Gun’s iconic 1986 action drama, was moved to this July only to now be shifted again to the week before Thanksgiving.