Miles Teller Recorded Some Of His Top Gun: Maverick Lines From His Closet
"Top Gun: Maverick" rose through the stratosphere when it came out in the summer of 2022. It was the highest-grossing film of that year until a little movie called "Avatar: The Way of Water" came along, but still, for a sequel to a film from the '80s to get that kind of audience is impressive. The movie also reminded viewers of Miles Teller's talent, seeing how he hadn't been in a movie since 2017's "Thank You for Your Service."
Teller played Rooster, a pilot who also happens to be the son of the late Goose from the original "Top Gun." It offers him a unique relationship with Tom Cruise's Maverick, who becomes a flight instructor to a group of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission. There's a real sense of pathos in his performance, especially in the scenes where he confronts Maverick. Both he and Cruise dominate the screen every chance they get, but it may come as a surprise to some that part of Teller's performance came straight from his closet.
Recording ADR after the fact is a pretty common practice in Hollywood, but Teller spoke of how Tom Cruise was adamant about getting a good performance by any means necessary.
Tom Cruise provided the mics
Filming "Top Gun: Maverick" was a massive challenge. In addition to getting footage of the fighter jets, the team also had to contend with making the movie during the COVID-19 pandemic at the height of the lockdown. However, Tom Cruise wanted to work on the film as much as possible even if they couldn't all be together, and Miles Teller revealed the lengths he went to during a recent episode of the "Kermode & Mayo's Take" podcast.
In the episode, Teller is asked whether it's true he recorded some lines at home in his closet. Teller related how Cruise worked tirelessly to ensure everyone had the equipment they needed to work on the movie from home, insisting that if food could be delivered, then so could a microphone. And it wasn't just a few lines that needed to be picked up. Teller explained, "I mean, I did more hours of ADR on this film than I've probably spent filming entire movies." Teller couldn't remember what lines specifically ended up in the finished product, but seeing how there are numerous scenes of him flying with a mask on, it's safe to say quite a bit came directly from his house.
But copious amounts of ADR weren't the only impressive facet of production. The actor went on to state, "We captured more footage than all three "Lord of the Rings" movies combined." Putting what would become "Top Gun: Maverick" together was an enormous undertaking, and its box office take and Oscar nominations prove it was all worth it.