Behind Closed Doors S05E07 - Top Gun

Based on real stories told by U.S. Navy fighter pilots Top Gun had it all: rising young stars, daring on-screen action, a love story and the perfect soundtrack. Top Gun catapulted Tom Cruise into super stardom and helped launched the careers of a band of young stars including Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Meg Ryan and Tim Robbins. With mega-producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer at the helm and the visionary eye of director Tony Scott Top Gun put audiences where they'd never been - inside the cockpit of fighter jets through striking aerial footage. Now more than 30 years later and ahead of the highly-anticipated release of its sequel Top Gun: Maverick this Behind Closed Doors is an inside look at the American classic that was almost never made. The movie faced a mountain of challenges including the tragic death of famed stunt pilot Art Scholl during production. Initially dismissed by a number of critics Top Gun made its way into pop culture and became the highest grossing movie of 1986.