[Warning: This story contains spoilers for Top Gun: Maverick.]
Top Gun: Maverick Air coordinator Kevin Larossa started screaming very loudly when he received a phone call offering to continue the legacy that scared his family away.
Originally hired as a movie camera pilot, the veteran filmmaker quickly impressed the producers, who in turn promoted him to the position of coordinator, which included important briefings prior to in-flight filming.
After working on a number of Marvel movies in various aerial production roles, Larosa is no stranger to big-budget tents. and still, Top Gun: Maverick The experience was somehow more glorious than any of these episodes. Because? Two words: Tom Cruise.
in an interview hollywood reporter, Laroza spoke about what followed the actors’ intensive training and explained why it was important. Larosa also shared memories of her favorite cruise and explained why there was no chance. Top Gun: Maverick It landed anywhere except in theaters.
How did you get involved in the film?
The executive producer called me and said, “We’re finally doing it. And you are one of the best camera jet pilots in the world. And we want you to drive the camera plane Top Gun: Maverick.” We had a good conversation and after hanging up the phone I must have screamed with joy in my lungs in the backyard. This really surprised my family. My role has evolved. I started as an airplane camera pilot, and as the producers saw my experience, they expanded my role and I became the aerial coordinator for the entire film.
Kevin Larosa in San Diego Top Gun: Maverick Premiere.
Vivienne Kiilea/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures
How do you explain your work to people who don’t know anything about the film industry?
My job is to oversee the shot and help with the aerial cinematography of the entire film. Things like flight safety and the logistics of working with the US Navy on data assets. It was my duty to provide you with a briefing for flying the F-18s. My duty was also to lead the briefings as we watched our footage with Tom. [Cruise] and Jose [Kosinski] and Jerry [Bruckheimer] And our creative team. I helped the actors with their flight training and led this training program that we created for Tom.
Is it safe to assume the work was even more intense, as this was a major attempt at Tom Cruise’s legacy?
absolutely! Radically different from any project I’ve been on! Tom Cruise gave a very motivational speech that I think was set for the entire cast and crew, allowing us to go into this project very focused on our core mission. In that speech, he said, “We are making a sequel to a very historic and cult film and we could not have made this film until the story was told. We couldn’t have made this movie until the technology was available to help us tell this incredible story. And here we are: the story is amazing and now we have this technology. Our primary mission is to achieve a level of excellence in cinematography that has never been on the big screen. We want to reach a level of perfection that we’ve never seen before.” That speech resonated deeply with me and the entire team and I think it really set the tone for the whole group.
Why was it critical to have the actors on the planes and how do you explain the G-force they experienced?
[Director] Joseph Kosinski and Tom Cruise knew these shots and performances had to be practical, real. There’s no way you can act and show that kind of distortion when you don’t feel it. [g-force]. So all the actors flew in these planes. Most people are familiar with the feeling of the G-force of attraction, when we feel our body pressed against a chair. You feel like some Gs, but nowhere are you like the F-18 squad. You could feel two g’s, but when you were in these F-18s, they went up to 7.5 g’s. That’s about 1700 pounds of force in your shoulders and your head in your chest. And it tries to get all the blood out of the upper body and you have to fight to keep that blood in the upper body, or you just fall asleep. You need to train your body to be able to resist these deep forces and you need to understand the physiological effects of what they are doing and how to overcome them.
Is it fair to say that Tommy was tougher than anyone else because every moment was real?
It’s just not fair to say that, it’s true. Nobody has done anything that Tom has ever tried. He does this because one of his best qualities is coaching and helping others, giving advice to better understand aviation and physiological effects to help improve performance. Tommy has the hardest times with himself, not just because he wants to stand out, but also because he helps people around him achieve that status, including me. He is extremely motivated. When I work with him, I get so motivated that I try to achieve the same level of brilliance.
Everyone I’ve talked to about the project has a favorite Tom Moment. Do you share your opinion?
What moves me the most is the first day of production when Tommy first flew in an F-18 to start filming in the cockpit. We just completed a two hour mission. And the results are Tommy, and when he approached me, I got an instinctive shiver. It felt absolutely amazing and seeing it was a moment of getting on and off a plane that I will never forget. I felt like it was history. We really felt the weight of what we were doing.
Which of all the phenomenal aerial moments was your favorite footage?
When we got to the last set of the movie, it was the most energetic and dynamic flight we’ve ever taken. And I think that plays out on the big screen when you watch the series finale. The energy you see in the last sequence was absolutely what we felt when we were there. When he was flying, it was very visceral, very surreal. What we were doing in those F-18s was probably the height of my career. It’s the wildest and most beautiful aerial cinematography I’ve ever seen. So the series finale is definitely my favorite part of the movie.
It is already clear to the spectator that this film must be lived in the cinema. Was there ever any doubt that this would happen, given the stress and uncertainty of the pandemic?
No way did that happen. It is very important that this is a theatrical experience. When you sit in a movie theater, watch this giant screen and feel the sound in your chest as the Hornet and F-18 Super Hornet launch – that’s the experience of this movie. This is the only way you can get that visceral emotion and that’s what people deserve when they see this movie because it was created for that.
The interview is edited for length and clarity.
Top Gun: Maverick It’s in theaters now.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
