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Who is Penny and her daughter in Top Gun: Maverick
Top Gun: Maverick – Penny owns a bar in proximity to the TOPGUN detachment’s location and is a single mother to a daughter named Amelia Benjamin ; Penny is presumably divorced, with Amelia mentioning that her father now lives in Hawaii with a different wife.
- Maverick runs into her when he goes back to TOPGUN to teach.
- They flirt and Penny tells Maverick that they’re not going to go down the same road they always go again – she just wants to stay friends.
- Maverick reluctantly agrees.
- Penny owns a bar in town and Maverick has to buy everyone drinks when he leaves his phone on the bar, one of Penny’s rules.
Penny lives alone with her daughter, Amelia. She and Maverick continue to flirt and advise each other on life. Maverick helps Penny move a sailboat. Eventually, they go on a secret date and Maverick has to sneak out Penny’s window at the end of the night.
Is Maverick Penny’s daughters father
Warning: This article contains some spoilers for ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ – Jennifer Connelly as Penny Benjamin in “Top Gun: Maverick” Paramount Pictures Despite not appearing in Top Gun, Penny has supposedly known Maverick for some time. They have been romantically involved on-and-off for several years but their relationship “always ends the same” as Penny tells Maverick in Top Gun: Maverick when they meet again after several years apart.
Penny is the daughter of a former admiral and she is actually mentioned in Top Gun by Commander Tom “Stinger” Jordan, who is Nick “Goose” Bradshaw ( Anthony Edwards ) and Bill “Cougar” Cortell’s (John Stockwell) commanding officer. In the scene, Jordan mentions how Maverick was disciplined in the past for having “a history of high-speed passes over five air control towers and one admiral’s daughter,” with Goose mentioning her name under his breath.
Later, Goose’s wife Carole Bradshaw mentions to Maverick that he had told her all about “the time you went ballistic with Penny Benjamin.” In Top Gun: Maverick Penny owns a bar near the TOPGUN base and it is where the pilots often go to relax. It’s at the bar that Maverick meets his former flame once again.
- She tells him not to “look at her” the way he is, because things always end the same and she suggests that this time they shouldn’t start anything.
- Unfazed by the rebuttal, Maverick continues to flirt with Penny and later she takes him out on her sailing boat when her daughter Amelia (Lyliana Wray) chooses to study for school instead of going with her.
When Maverick meets Amelia again it also becomes evident that he has been out of her and Penny’s life for some time because he comments on how big she has grown since the last time he’d seen her. Amelia is very familiar with Maverick too because when she catches him jumping out of the window after spending the night with Penny she tells him not to “break her heart again like the last time.” Maverick and Penny may have had a romantic relationship several times over the years but he is not Amelia’s father.
- Her real father is out of the picture and Penny raises her daughter as a single mother.
- Penny’s father also makes a brief appearance in the movie when Maverick visits her bar and meets him while she and Amelia are out sailing.
- The movie ends with Maverick and Penny reuniting after he survives a dangerous mission alongside Goose’s son Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, with the couple seeming to decide on having on a more serious relationship.
Top Gun: Maverick is out in theaters now. Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in “Top: Gun Maverick.” Paramount Pictures
Why is Penny in Maverick?
Summary –
Kelly McGillis’ portrayal of Charlie in the original Top Gun brought a sense of equality to her relationship with Maverick, dictating the terms of their romance. In the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, Jennifer Connelly’s character Penny Benjamin replaces Charlie as Maverick’s love interest, addressing outdated attitudes and reflecting on Maverick’s advancing age. Penny’s inclusion adds dramatic weight to the film, helping Maverick reckon with his choices and make peace with Rooster, while maintaining the essence of Charlie’s role in supporting the male protagonist.
Kelly McGillis’ Charlie was one of the big reasons the 1985 blockbuster Top Gun worked so well. A smart, capable woman in an era of token girlfriends, the Top Gun actress brought a surprising sense of equality to her relationship with Tom Cruise’s Maverick,
She dictated the terms of their romance, she was presented as the more emotionally mature of the two, and, at the end of the film, he came to her rather than staying out with the boys and their shirtless volleyball games. Kelly McGillis didn’t return in Top Gun: Maverick, the 2022 sequel, citing potential ageism as the cause.
Her absence left Maverick without one of the key ingredients to its predecessor’s success. Instead, Jennifer Connelly joined the Top Gun: Maverick cast as the new love interest: Penny Benjamin, who, as it turns out, is really the only other viable option for the part.
Why did they change Penny in Top Gun: Maverick?
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Left Out Kelly McGillis: Why the Original Star Was Never Asked to Return When “” finally opens in theaters later this month, fans of the 1986 classic will get to witness the long-awaited returns of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell () and Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer). But fans won’t see Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood, the Top Gun instructor played by,
- Maverick and Charlie’s romance (and the chemistry that sizzled between Cruise and McGillis) was one of the backbones of the original “Top Gun,” but McGills wasn’t asked to star in the sequel because her character was never even considered to return.
- Top Gun: Maverick” director Joseph Kosinski confirmed the omission to ahead of the sequel’s release.
“Top Gun: Maverick” is set 30 years after the original and finds Maverick forced to train a new generation of hot shot pilots. The new recruits are played by the likes of Miles Teller, Glenn Powell, Monica Barbaro and Jay Ellis. Teller stars as Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, a pilot trainee who is the son of Maverick’s late best friend Nick “Goose” Bradshaw.
Kosinski said not even Meg Ryan, who played Goose’s wife in the original film, was considered to return despite the Bradshaw family being a key plot point in “Top Gun: Maverick.” More from Variety “Those weren’t stories that we were throwing around,” Kosinski said about bringing back the original female stars.
“I didn’t want every storyline to always be looking backwards. It was important to introduce some new characters.” Kosinski preferred to limit the connective tissue between the original “Top Gun” and its sequel to Goose’s son and the relationship between Maverick and Iceman.
- Cruise recently told that he “rallied hard” for Kilmer to return for the sequel.
- Instead of McGillis, “Top Gun: Maverick” features Jennifer Connelly as the romantic lead.
- The Oscar winner plays Penny Benjamin, who was mentioned in the original “Top Gun” as being “the Admiral’s daughter” whom Maverick once had a fling with.
Penny is a single mother in “Top Gun: Maverick” who owns a bar. “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. McGillis in 2019 that she was not asked to star in the “Top Gun” sequel, saying at the time, “I’m old, and I’m fat, and I look age-appropriate for what my age is.
And that is not what that whole scene is about. To me, I’d much rather feel absolutely in my skin and who I am at my age as opposed to placing a value on all that other stuff.” “Top Gun: Maverick” opens in theaters May 27 from Paramount Pictures. Best of Variety Sign up for, For the latest news, follow us on,, and,
: ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Left Out Kelly McGillis: Why the Original Star Was Never Asked to Return
Who is the admiral’s daughter in Top Gun
Who is the enigmatic Penny Benjamin in “Top Gun?” – Maverick in “Top Gun” is painted as a rebellious spirit, lashing out against the expectations of his late father who was wrongfully blamed for a mission mishap during Vietnam. Maverick is often seen making daring moves such as ignoring orders and buzzing towers with his piloting skills that would otherwise be not allowed.
By exhibiting these characteristics, Maverick strives to make up for the consequences which fell upon him due to his father’s reputation. His commanding officer divulged the robust account of Maverick’s mischievous deeds, concluding with the memorable episode involving Penny Benjamin, infamously known as the admiral’s daughter.
An entranced Goose uttered her name in disbelief. Goose’s partner Carole teased him about that time he got overly passionate with Penny Benjamin at a later point in this iconic film.
Why did Iceman have Marines at his funeral
Because Iceman was an Admiral and Admirals can have whoever they want to as the honor guard at their funeral.
Did Maverick eject at Mach 10?
Skydance Media Fans of “Top Gun: Maverick” may recall a scene where the title character, played by Tom Cruise, decides to push a prototype Darkstar hypersonic jet a bit too far and is forced to eject when it starts to come apart. Maverick made it through the ordeal completely unscathed, which you could put down to Hollywood bending the laws of reality to avoid killing off a title character early on in a movie.
But is there a chance you could eject from a plane at ten times the speed of sound and live to tell the tale? Astrophysicist and presenter Neil DeGrasse Tyson doesn’t seem to think so, having tweeted “At that air speed, his body would splatter like a chainmail glove swatting a worm. Just sayin’.” Late to the party here, but In this year’s @TopGunMovie, @TomCruise ’s character Maverick ejects from a hypersonic plane at Mach 10.5, before it crashed.
He survived with no injuries. At that air speed, his body would splatter like a chainmail glove swatting a worm. Just sayin’. pic.twitter.com/YP9IKVc8VS — Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 9, 2022 But is there a chance Tyson is wrong, and a real-life Maverick could make it? As you can imagine, the situation is quite complex.
Is the new Iceman Hangman?
With his change of heart, Top Gun: Maverick’s Hangman honors the legacy of Iceman. Image via Paramount Pictures Top Gun: Maverick managed to do the seemingly impossible. It handled the cultural legacy of Tony Scott ‘s original film with respect. Part of the reason that Top Gun is such a beloved classic is its sincerity. There’s barely an ounce of cynicism in the film, which puts it into stark contrast with most of today’s blockbusters.
- Would the straight-faced good nature of 1986 feel out-of-touch in 2022? Surprisingly, no.
- Top Gun: Maverick has a big heart, and isn’t afraid to recontextualize many of the story beats and characters from the first film.
- Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Top Gun: Maverick.
- One of the most surprisingly emotional elements of Top Gun: Maverick was the way that Val Kilmer ‘s health struggles were addressed.
Kilmer had been diagnosed with throat cancer and underwent chemotherapy and two tracheostomies. He has used an electronic voice box to communicate given the challenges of speaking. Top Gun: Maverick doesn’t avoid this; Kilmer’s character, Iceman, undergoes the same challenges that he was dealing with in real life.
The thoughtful incorporation of Kilmer’s personal life is only part of the way that Top Gun: Maverick honors the legacy of the Iceman character. Among Maverick’s ( Tom Cruise ) trainees is a sly, charismatic pilot nicknamed “Hangman” ( Glen Powell ). Hangman essentially fills the same role that Iceman did in the original film; he picks on Rooster ( Miles Teller ), adding a sense of competition to Maverick’s selection process.
Hangman isn’t just a duplicate of Iceman. He exists as a reminder of Iceman’s importance in the original film, and his change of heart deepens the “bully” archetype into a more complex character. Image via Paramount Pictures Iceman is essential to Top Gun, Maverick’s overconfidence could easily become obnoxious, but at the Top Gun Naval Academy, everyone is full of themselves. It’s amusing to see these larger-than-life personalities trading trash talk with each other.
- Iceman proves that he’s a pilot worthy of Maverick; his derisive comments are more personal, and they get under Maverick’s skin.
- It allows Maverick to be vulnerable, as he’s forced to question if he’s really as good as he thinks he is.
- Hangman fulfills a similarly important role in Top Gun: Maverick,
Rooster already has reason enough to be nervous. He’s living in the shadow of the death of his father, Goose ( Anthony Edwards ), and holds Maverick personally responsible. Maverick’s arrival is enough to throw Rooster off his game, and Hangman’s insults don’t make things any easier.
It’s clear from the training exercises Maverick runs that Hangman isn’t all talk; he’s clearly got the skills to back up his boastful claims. Similar to Iceman, Hangman is introduced in the middle of a crowded bar, where he flirts with women and jokes with his fellow trainees. It’s clear that Hangman and Rooster are already rivals, but Hangman’s claim that “only the best” are prepared for their upcoming mission really rubs Rooster the wrong way.
Rooster is infuriated when Hangman learns of his father’s death, and uses it to question Rooster’s abilities. Hangman tells his peers that “we’re going into combat on a level no living pilot’s ever seen,” and that to go in unprepared would only be a safety hazard. Image via Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films However, it’s revealed that for all of his boasting, Hangman has been acting completely sincerely. During the lead up to the final mission, Hangman expresses heartbreak that he’s forced to remain on standby.
- He shares a brief moment with Rooster before he leaves with Maverick for the assault on the air base.
- It’s more than an empty gesture of good will; Hangman recognizes that Rooster is heading into dangerous territory, and sincerely wishes for him to emerge from the mission alive.
- His desire to join them isn’t just out of pride.
These moments are preceded by another reminder of Iceman’s importance. Before making his decision about which pilot to select for the mission, Maverick meets with Iceman to ask for his advice. Iceman assures Maverick that Rooster is prepared for the assault. Image via Paramount Hangman is genuinely concerned about the safety of his fellow initiates. It’s implied in Top Gun that Iceman comes to this realization after his union with Maverick at the end, but Powell shows that Hangman’s selflessness was there the whole time.
Although he clashed with Maverick initially, Hangman embodies his instructor’s spirit by disobeying orders. When Maverick and Rooster are pinned down by a Su-57, Hangman emerges from the sidelines to help them out. It’s an expansion of the role that Iceman played in the original film’s finale. While Iceman and Maverick acknowledge their mutual respect for each other, Hangman and Rooster reach an understanding after they’ve bonded over their adventure together.
Their heartfelt embrace during the final celebration isn’t just a duplication of the iconic hug between Maverick and Iceman. It’s a more emotionally earned moment that deepens the text of the first film.
Is Penny the same as Charlie in Maverick
Penny Benjamin Replaces Charlie in “Top Gun: Maverick” – In 2022, the antiquated comments about Maverick’s sex life and the age-old notion of a “good woman” who makes him “settle down” no longer hold true. And with his advancing age serving as an important plotline in this film installment, it becomes necessary to bring back Penny Benjamin rather than introducing a new character—allowing for “Top Gun” to address its outdated attitudes without creating something from nothing.
- Maverick’s and Penny’s love story has been an intriguing one, having gone through its fair share of ups and downs over the years.
- This reveals Maverick to be not just a serial heartbreaker but someone who genuinely cares for Penny as well.
- The film shows how their relationship is reignited after many years apart when they meet again.
Penny is now a single mother running her own bar while Maverick faces his turbulent past choices; specifically turning down Rooster from joining the Naval Academy out of loyalty to Carole before she passed away. Penny helps Maverick to come to terms with his internal turmoil, ultimately leading to a resolution between him and Rooster in the finale of “Top Gun: Maverick”.
- Beyond simply taking Charlie’s place, Penny is able to bring a whole new perspective and meaning to Maverick.
- She still follows the same role as before – supporting our protagonist without creating her own energy – yet her familiarity with this world allows us to add value directly to the plot in organic ways.
This attention to detail showcases how much “Top Gun: Maverick” cares about its story and helps keep it soaring after over three decades!
Why is Penny not in Top Gun: Maverick?
Kelly McGillis Wasn’t Asked To Reprise Her Charlie Top Gun Role – Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick isn’t scared to lean on nostalgia with various callbacks to the 1986 film. That said, it doesn’t bring back many of the characters from the original Top Gun, and among the absent is Charlie. There are two reasons that explain why the Charlie Top Gun character isn’t in the sequel.
- According to director Joseph Kosinski, they wanted Top Gun: Maverick to look forward instead of backward, so they were meticulous in deciding which legacy characters would be back in the new blockbuster.
- Ultimately, instead of re-pairing Maverick with Charlie, the decision was made to properly reintroduce Penny Benjamin from Top Gun, instead.
However, Charlie actress Kelly McGillis believes that there’s a different explanation for not being called back for Top Gun: Maverick : her age and looks. ” I’m old, and I’m fat, and I look age-appropriate for what my age is, and that is not what that whole scene is about,” she said in a 2019 interview.