Top Gun_ Maverick Featurette - Actor Training Program (2022) _ Vudu

For the actors, I had to build a training program for them. Their understanding of radios, of flying, of being in an aircraft, being in confined spaces where it's hot. Because you have responsibilities in that F-18. You're not just going for a ride. You're actually there and you have to learn certain things in case an emergency happens. First, if you're going to fly in the F-18, it is mandated by the Navy that you go through water survival training. There's various steps that the actors must become proficient at. Don't be afraid to do it like you mean it. Do it like you're actually falling at 120 miles an hour. They have to be able to do it. If they can't do it, they can't get in the F-18. You're not likely to drown during this training, but it's significant physical experience. We had some that were very challenged. I did not know how to swim. So we went through intensive swim training with some Olympic coaches. I really enjoyed the swim training, but actually going to the testing facility in Miramar was a very different thing. The water survival training was heinous. Had a little freak out. I was petrified. I was like, okay, am I going to be able to do this? We're about to get dunked. There's all these different contraptions and things that like pull you through the water and like drop you into a tank. Very intense. You get blindfolded, strapped to a chair. Water fills up. They submerge you, spin you upside down. You got to get out. It's really been intense.