Val Kilmer praises 'Top Gun: Maverick' cast as film earns Golden Globe nomination

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'Top Gun: Maverick' star shares lesson he learned from Tom Cruise

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ star Jay Ellis tells Fox New Digital if a sequel is coming, and reveals that Tom Cruise reminded the cast ‘daily’ they were ‘making something special.’

Val Kilmer praised Tom Cruise and the cast of "Top Gun: Maverick" as the film was nominated for the Golden Globe for best motion picture.

Kilmer, 62, returned to the role of Iceman for the film. The actor was recently named one of EW's 2022 Entertainers of the Year. After receiving the honor, he paid tribute to the cast.

"Making that first film, we were all so young, but even then there was a special bond between us all," Kilmer told Entertainment Weekly. "After shooting, we would laugh and dance the night away. Coming back to work with Tom more than 30 years later, it was like no time had passed at all. He's the consummate professional, and his zest and energy for filmmaking are infectious. Being next to him instantly makes you better. That said, we blew a lot of takes laughing so much. It was really fun – really special."

Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise on the set of the original "Top Gun." (Paramount Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

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"And when the movie was released this summer, the response was just amazing! I was particularly thrilled and humbled by the audience's reaction to my scene with Tom. But, to be honest, with Tom, [director] Joseph Kosinski, and [executive producer] Jerry Bruckheimer at the helm, there was no doubt the film would be a smash," he added. "It was such an immense honor to work with all of them. On top of that, the addition of the new ensemble cast was perfect. It made for a very engaging story to have the young guns led by the veterans… pun intended."

"Top Gun: Maverick" premiered on May 27. The "Top Gun" sequel is the top-grossing film of 2022 and Cruise's top-grossing film of all time.

"It’s without a doubt, that ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is a true cultural touchstone embodying the power of the cinematic experience," Brian Robbins, president and CEO of Paramount Pictures, said in a statement to Deadline.

"As we celebrate this enormous achievement and the film’s massive impact, we want to extend our gratitude to Tom Cruise, our filmmakers and cast, Paramount’s marketing and distribution teams, and the legions of both new and longtime ‘Top Gun’ fans who keep turning out to enjoy this remarkable movie."

Tom Cruise's sequel film "Top Gun: Maverick" was nominated for best motion picture at the Golden Globes. (Skydance Media/Paramount Pictures)

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Despite being one of Hollywood’s heaviest hitters, Cruise hadn't had this big of an opening since 2005’s "War of the Worlds" with Dakota Fanning. The science-fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg grossed $64.9 million during Memorial Day weekend of that year.

Comscore also noted "Mission: Impossible – Fallout" earned $61.2 million in 2018, but Cruise’s other films have all opened to less than $60 million.

Cruise said "Top Gun" would "never" make its theatrical debut on a streaming network despite years of setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

When asked if he felt pressure to release the film in any capacity on a streaming network, Cruise assured the audience it would never happen.

"That was not going to happen ever," Cruise said while laughing in excerpts published on The Hollywood Reporter. "That was never going to happen."

Tom Cruise played Maverick in the 1986 movie "Top Gun." (CBS via Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital's Tracy Wright contributed to this report.