Tom Cruise 'very excited' to be back in Korea for 'Top Gun: Maverick'

From left, actors Jay Ellis, Miles Teller and Tom Cruise, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, actors Glen Powell and Greg Tarzan Davis pose during the press conference for the action blockbuster film, "Top Gun: Maverick," at Lotte Hotel World in southeastern Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

By Lee Gyu-lee

Tom Cruise made his 10th visit to Korea to promote his latest movie, "Top Gun: Maverick," with the film's co-stars, enjoying the red carpet event and the local premiere over the weekend.

"It's been four years since I've been here. And I could just feel the energy. We were all connecting again and adding a level of joy … I felt very excited (to meet fans in Korea) and I also felt that from the crowd," the star said during a press conference at Lotte Hotel World in Songpa District, Seoul, Monday.

He came with actors Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Jay Ellis and Greg Tarzan Davis, and the film's producer, Jerry Bruckheimer.

"(Korea has) such a beautiful culture. It's such a privilege to be here. Last night, all of us sat through the premiere and watched the film … it was very important for all of us to be able to come here in person, and to have shared the communal experience of watching the movie in a theater together was actually very beautiful and special," Cruise said.

The sequel of the 1986 hit film, "Top Gun," picks up about 30 years after the original film with Pete "Maverick" Mitchell working as a test pilot. The legendary pilot is called back to the naval flight academy to train a group of aspiring pilots ― played by Teller, Powell, Ellis, Davis and Monica Barbaro.

As Maverick prepares them for a special mission that would risk their lives, he must face his past and deepest fear.

Cruise shared that he had felt enormous pressure in making the follow-up series to such a successful film.

"For years people have been asking me for (the sequel) and there was a tremendous amount of pressure on how to do it," he said. "One of the things that Jerry and I did was to sit down and understand what Top Gun was. To bring the audiences to the world of Top Gun … you need to feel the same world and same character, trajectory and same emotion, and tone. It was very perspicuous, and that was what we were shooting for. So it was a lot of pressure."

A scene from the film, "Top Gun: Maverick" / Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment

The new film carries on the dynamic of the original film, scoring with high-octane aviation action and appealing to the nostalgia of the first series.

The actor shared that the audience will not only enjoy the dynamics of the action, but also the story that the film offers.

"There's something very unique about the story (of this movie). There's great drama and big visual action scenes and a great personal story about honor, friendship and family. I think these are all the values that we can all identify with and connect with. And it's told in a way that is very entertaining and captures imaginations," he said.

Bruckheimer added that such high quality came from Cruise's efforts that supported the film.

"Tom demands excellence and you see it in the movie, performance, camera and in everything that you see goes on in storytelling," he said. "Today we are here on his effort; his effort to make the best possible movie and find a way for the world to agree with him."

"Top Gun: Maverick" will hit local theaters on Wednesday.

Actor Tom Cruise, third from right, and other stars in the film, "Top Gun: Maverick," and its producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, third from left, pose wearing aviator jackets adorned with patterns that were worn by the king during the Joseon Kingdom, after being offered them as presents during a red carpet event in front of Lotte World Tower in southeastern Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap

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