The dog in Top Gun 2 was one of the action movie‘s stars anyway, but especially now that we know the context behind him. Director Christopher McQuarrie has shared some information on the pooch that only makes us love him more.
A fan of the thriller movie asked McQuarrie about the backstory to Theo, the canine Tom Cruise’s Maverick playfully meets. The filmmaker revealed that Theo is actually a personal tribute to Tony Scott, director of the original ’80s movie Top Gun. “The dog was Tony Scott’s favourite breed and a loving nod to him,” he tweeted. “I named him Theo after my German Shepherd who was, as anyone’s dog is, the greatest dog who ever lived.”
All together now: awww! Theo almost stole the show right out from under Cruise, despite only having one scene, and it’s beautiful to know there was a deeper meaning for everyone. Their moment takes on a poetic inflection when you consider it as Cruise sharing a second with the spirit of Scott on-set, as he honours their collaboration decades later.
Top Gun: Maverick proved to just as bit a hit for Cruise as the first, giving him his first billion-dollar film at the box office. It’s one of the highest-grossing movies of the year, and we’d like to think some of that is down to Theo’s impeccable acting prowess.
The adventure movie is beloved by audiences and critics alike. Our Charlotte Colombo called it a “turbo-charged tribute” in her Top Gun 2 review. In the film, Cruise’s Maverick leads another group of cadets, played by the likes of Miles Teller and Glen Powell, on a daring, life-threatening mission that involves lots of aerial dogfights.
Just another day in the life, really. Check out our list of Tom Cruise movies for more of his exploits.