Miles Teller on his role as Rooster in “Top Gun: Maverick”
Written by Julia Gralki. Photo courtesy of Ally Abruscato.
“Top Gun: Maverick” has made a lot of headlines since its release on May 27 of this year. Since then, it made history as the sixth highest-grossing movie of all time. On Tuesday, actor Miles Teller, starring as Rooster, made an appearance at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival.
Teller is no stranger to Savannah, having visited SCAD’s film festival in 2010 when he was awarded the Discovery Award for “Rabbit Hole” and in 2016 when he received the Vanguard Award for “Bleed For This.” This year, Teller was invited to an “In Conversation” event, where he talked about his role as Rooster in “Top Gun: Maverick.”
The blockbuster is a sequel to the 1986 “Top Gun” with Tom Cruise starring as Maverick. The 2022 film “Top Gun: Maverick” is set thirty years into Maverick’s career as a fighter pilot. He finds himself tasked to train a group of Top Gun graduates for a special mission that is deemed impossible. That’s where he meets Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), nicknamed “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend, Nick Bradshaw. The story follows Maverick as he is faced with his own past and deep-seated fears while forced to make unexpected decisions and sacrifices.
While “Top Gun: Maverick” is not free of criticism, it is rated 8.4/10 on IMDb and 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. Both the story and the production of the movie impressed the audience. Teller can attest to Tom Cruise’s commitment to the movie, both as an actor and producer.
“Tom’s dynamics that he brings to a movie should be celebrated,” said Teller. “People forget how much Tom has contributed to the script and how much he has given to the audience.”
Cruise is the first person to be there and the last one to leave, but he also brings a large skill set to the movie set, as he is known for his motorcycling and flying stunts from other movies.
“If you have Tom Cruise, you don’t need CGI,” said Teller.
When asked about the start of his career, Teller recounts his passion for theater in high school, which inspired him to pursue acting at NYU. Fueled by his internal motivation, he was fortunate to get into movies that helped him express himself.
While the acting industry can seem as though actors are reliant on producers or directors to give them opportunities, Teller said, “It starts with believing in yourself.”
From a young age, he felt that he had something to say. And he used every opportunity he could get to “get something out.”
Teller was one of 200 guys who auditioned for the part of Rooster. When he got the offer, he was hesitant to take the role, being aware that starring as a main character in “Top Gun” would put an end to going to dinners unrecognized. Looking back, he is glad he said yes to the part.
Teller also had some valuable advice for performing arts students: “If I could start it all over again in freshman year at NYU, I would.”
The feeling of not knowing what would be next, the auditioning and rehearsing in small groups with like-minded people, is what he remembers most about his own experiences as a performing arts student.
Teller said, “Really enjoy it because once it becomes a job, it’s a job. There’s something about the beginning of the story that you’ll never get back. Soak it in.”
