For having inspired vocations through his films, Tom Cruise received the highest civilian distinction of the American Navy on Tuesday.
It sparked vocations as a pilot, Tom Cruise. Between the first Top Gun in 1986, and the recent sequel, Top Gun Maverickfour generations of spectators have dreamed of piloting a fighter plane. If all fans of Top Gun are not today at the controls of an F16, the film has clearly boosted recruitment.
Also, the American Navy awarded the actor its highest civilian distinction on Tuesday, December 17, awarded for acts of heroism or solidarity. The ceremony was held at Longcross Film Studios in Chertsey, Surrey, near London.
US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, who presented the actor with the award, said that Top Gun had made it possible to “considerably increase” the number of recruits since its release in 1986.
The sequel, Top Gun Maverick, “brought nostalgia to older viewers and breathed new life into younger audiences,” he added.
“A true honor”
“I accept, not just for myself, but on behalf of the entire cast and crew, the directors, the writers, the studios in Hollywood. I admire all the military. I salute their dedication. And that It’s a true honor to represent them, and I’m very proud.”
In Top GunTom Cruise plays an ultra-talented but rebellious pilot. In the first part, he is a young prodigy who joins the American naval aviation school, the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Program, nicknamed Top Gun.
In France too, the film has sparked vocations, as ex-fighter pilot Pierre-Henri Chuet testified in 2022 in Le Parisien. “I am not the only one to have become one thanks to the film: many of those of my generation are in the same situation,” he confided then. Despite the lack of realism in certain scenes, the film is still “a Proust madeleine” for the pilots.
The first part of the film, in 1986, grossed $357 million. The sequel, Top Gun: Maverickbrought in nearly 1.5 billion.
