How old is Goose in Top Gun

Goose and Maverick forever! OG Top Gun star Anthony Edwards revealed what he really thought about Top Gun: Maverick — and whether Tom Cruise ran anything by him beforehand.

“People had a certain feeling in the original one and that one [Top Gun: Maverick] does exactly what it felt like seeing it the first time, only more so,” Edwards, 59, told Entertainment Tonight on Thursday, June 9, at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival. “As I said to Tom, ‘Mission accomplished.’ They did it.”

The California native, who played Nick “Goose” Bradshaw in the 1986 film alongside Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, added: “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.”

Fans of the original action film remember Edwards’ playful character, who is Maverick’s copilot in school, tragically dies during a training exercise when they are forced to abandon the jet. While Goose didn’t magically come back to life in the sequel, his memory lived on in a variety of ways.

In addition to photos of Goose and Maverick’s flashbacks of their time together at Top Gun training, the character’s son, Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), plays a major role in the 2022 film.

“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,” Edwards joked on Thursday.

In Top Gun, Goose was married to Carole (Meg Ryan), but she was also missing from the new movie as it’s revealed she died off screen. Maverick’s No. 1 competitor, however, Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer), did make a cameo.

In the latest film, Maverick is called to train a new group of the Navy’s top pilots more than 30 years after he graduated at the top of his class from the elite academy. Some of the new characters include Natasha “Phoenix” Trace (Monica Barbaro), Jake “Hangman” Seresin (Glen Powell) and Mickey “Fanboy” Garcia (Danny Ramirez).

Edwards revealed that while he didn’t attend the world premiere for Top Gun: Maverick, 59-year-old Cruise made sure he got a special preview of it.

“If you do the first movie, you’re lucky enough,” the ER alum explained on Thursday, adding, “I was lucky enough that Tom called me up. He screened it for me in person.”

He continued: “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 in theaters now.

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Top Gun star Anthony Edwards (aka "Goose") can sum up Top Gun: Maverick with just two words: "mission accomplished."

Edwards gave the proverbial "two thumbs up" review Thursday while attending the world premiere of Jennifer Lopez's documentary, Halftime (drops June 14 on Netflix), at the opening night of the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival.

Edwards, who is one of more than five dozen jury members across 18 categories for the festival, admitted he hadn't seen Halftime yet because, in his words, "world premiere means world premiere," but he did have plenty to offer ET's Rachel Smith when it came to discussing how the sequel handled his character's legacy nearly four decades after the 1986 classic premiered.

For starters, the 59-year-old actor said he didn't see the world premiere of Top Gun: Maverick. In other words, he didn't feast his eyes on the mastery of the sound and visuals when the rest of the world did. As it so happens, being a Top Gun alum has its privileges.

"If you do the first move, you're lucky enough," Edwards admitted. "I was lucky enough that Tom [Cruise] called me up. He screened it for me in person." 

The actor then brought his son, Bailey, into the interview and 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."

Edwards portrayed LTJG Nick "Goose" Bradshaw in the OG film. His character (spoiler alert?) dies halfway through the film following an accident while ejecting from the F-14 jet he and Cruise's character, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, were forced to abandon during a training exercise. Top Gun: Maverick paid homage to "Goose," not just with a barrage of pictures and flashbacks but also with the addition of Miles Teller, who plays "Goose's" grown-up son, Lt. Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw.

And for Edwards, he's happy to be a part of the biggest movie in the world without having lifted a finger or uttering a single word. "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 quipped.

Earlier this week, Top Gun: Maverick crossed the $600 million line at the box office worldwide as it eyes the $1 billion mark. Though its success can certainly be measured with those figures, some might argue its success also depends on what OG stars like Edwards think about the film. And for Edwards, it's a no-brainer.

"People had a certain feeling in the original one and that one [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."

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