'Top Gun: Maverick': Where Is Meg Ryan?

05/27/2022 12:14 pm EDT

Even before Top Gun: Maverick screenings began Thursday night, everyone knew Meg Ryan was not coming back. Although Ryan has been picky about her projects lately, she is still working, even recently booking a new romantic comedy gig this month. Her Top Gun character's absence in Maverick was explained in a quick line delivered by Tom Cruise, but director Joseph Kosinski shared a real-world explanation in an interview earlier this month. Spoilers for Top Gun: Maverick ahead.

The original 1986 Top Gun gave Ryan her first major movie role. She had a supporting part as Carole Bradshaw, the wife of LTJC Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards). Carol, Goose, and Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) were all close friends. Goose is killed during a training accident, leaving Carol to raise their son alone. As we learn in Maverick, Pete tried to become the father Goose's son, Lt. Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (Miles Teller) never had. He also still blames himself for Goose's death, even though he was cleared of any wrongdoing.

The in-universe explanation for Ryan's absence is that Carol died sometime between the events of the two movies. Her last wish was that Rooster did not become a pilot like his father. Rather than let Rooster know his mother disapproved of his career choice, Maverick let Rooster think he was the only person standing in his way by pulling his application to Navy flight training. As Maverick explains to Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly), he'd rather have Rooster mad at him than his mother.

Penny took over the roles Carol and Charlie (Kelly McGillis) played in the original Top Gun. In an interview with Insider earlier this month, Kosinski said they never considered bringing either character back. Instead, Maverick focused on the relationship between Maverick and Rooster without packing the movie with references to the past. "Those weren't stories that we were throwing around," Kosinski said. "I didn't want every storyline to always be looking backwards. It was important to introduce some new characters."

Penny was briefly mentioned in Top Gun, but only as "the Admiral's daughter" whom Maverick once had an affair with. In Maverick, she is a single mother who owns the bar near the flight school. "Penny Benjamin, a character we have heard mentioned but never seen before, that was an amazing opportunity to bring Jennifer Connelly's character into this film," Kosinski said.

After Top Gun hit theaters, Ryan only had three years to wait to become a superstar herself. When Harry Met Sally... hit theaters in 1989, establishing her as the face of Hollywood romantic comedies for the coming decade. Although Ryan does not act nearly as much as everyone would love to see, she did just join a new rom-com, What Happens Later, with David Duchovny. She will also direct the movie, based on Seven Dietz's play Shooting Star. Bleeker Street already picked up U.S. distribution and is planning to release the movie next year. Ryan also wrote the script with Dietz and Kirk Lynn. 

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