Although the 2002 Oscar winner joins Tom Cruise for the first time in this sequel, her character had already been mentioned in the 1986 film.
It’s been 36 years since we first saw Tom Cruise as Pete Mitchell, so the Top Gun: Maverick premiere, the sequel to the famous 1986 film, turned out to be a true cinematic event in 2022 which even became, as of the last day of the year, the highest grossing film. A milestone that Avatar: The Sense of Water it would snatch him up quickly, but that was it.
In the tape, which has recently been available for streaming through the Amazon Prime Video platform, in addition to the protagonist, we met Penny Benjamin, the owner of the bar where the pilots meet and a prominent sailor in her free time. An outstanding character played by Jennifer Connelly who, although it is the first time we see on screen, the reality is that he was mentioned up to two times in the legendary Tony Scott film.
From the original 1986 film, we remember Kelly McGillis as Charlotte Blackwood, a Navy pilot instructor who becomes involved in a passionate romance with the protagonist. Nor have we been able to forget a young woman meg ryan, which had yet to revolutionize romantic comedy with When Harry Met Sally. However, many viewers did not realize that a third female character was mentioned in top gun.
At the beginning of the film, Goose (Anthony Edwards) and Maverick are summoned to Stinger’s (James Tolkan) office for disobeying direct orders. The commander is very upset with the attitude of the protagonist, whom he calls irresponsible both on the ground and in the air. “You also have a history of five very low passes over control towers… and an admiral’s daughter, too”says Stringe. Right after, Goose turns around and, surprised, asks, “Penny Benjamin?”
But this is not the only time that the name of Connelly’s character is mentioned in the original film. Gosse’s girlfriend (Ryan) remembers the approaches between Maverick and Penny in a conversation in a bar, when the protagonist was just beginning to romantically connect with Charlotte.
From the beginning, the entire production team was clear that they did not want Charlotte to return to Top Gun: Maverick. “I didn’t want the film to constantly look back”confesses Joseph Kosinski, director of the sequel, to the web insiders. “It was important to introduce new characters.”
Therefore, one of the new characters they decided to introduce was the character of Connelly. According to statements by the filmmaker, “He’s a character we’ve heard of but never seen”. And he notes that “it was an incredible opportunity to bring the character of Jennifer Connelly to this film.”
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Penny Benjamin is Maverick’s love interest in Top Gun: Maverick. A divorced woman who is “bright, independent and happy”, according to Connelly’s statements. The new character shows the protagonist that there is a future far from the Navy and his passion for airplanes.
Remember: Top Gun: Maverick is available on Amazon Prime Video.
