Aside from Kelly McGillis' Charlie and Meg Ryan's Carole, for the most part the original 1986 Top Gun was all about playing with the boys – there were few female characters, let alone a female fighter pilot. But over 30 years later, Tom Cruise is back as Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell and he won't be going it alone – training up a whole new generation of flyers. His team boasts a fresh crop of trainees: not only the incoming Rooster, Hangman, and, er, Bob, but also one person set to change the game in brand new ways. Enter Phoenix.
Monica Barbaro, best known for her performances in Unreal and Chicago Justice, is taking on the role of the new pilot trainee in Top Gun: Maverick, a no-nonsense woman working her way up the ranks like everyone else. Introducing her new character to Empire, Barbaro explained how equality was key in order to give Phoenix as much attention as all the boys. “She’s competitive, but grounded,” says Barbaro. “She’s, for sure, a tough cookie.” Check out an exclusive image of Monica Barbaro as Phoenix here:
Reflecting on the challenges female pilots face in this industry, and why it was so crucial to highlight how well-rounded women like Phoenix are, Barbaro speaks to the element of truth in her character. “Any woman in this profession has to work incredibly hard to be an equal or, I guess, considered an equal," she says. "Tom, and all the production team, and the Navy really cared about making Phoenix as smart and talented and capable as they possibly could, to really represent the actual women who do this for a living.”
But it's not all pain and no gain – it wouldn't be a Top Gun movie without plenty of beach volleyball and flying across the skies, coolly watching on as the sun sets over another day in the pilot's seat.
Read Empire’s full Top Gun: Maverick feature – introducing the sequel’s new generation of fighter pilots – in the upcoming Tom Hiddleston issue, on sale Thursday 15 April and available to pre-order online here. Top Gun: Maverick is expected to arrive in UK cinemas on 19 November.