Why you don’t hear from Kelly McGillis anymore

The iconic movie Top Gun propelled Tom Cruise to stardom, but his on-screen love interest, Kelly McGillis, took a very different path.

Today, it’s almost hard to recognize the 65-year-old actress, who has faced significant age shaming over the past few years.

Many fans, including myself, couldn’t help but think of Kelly McGillis when watching Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to the classic 80s film. Despite knowing she wouldn’t be in it, there was a hope to see her. Instead, the film featured an emotional reunion between Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer. McGillis revealed that she wasn’t asked to join the cast. When Entertainment Tonight asked in 2019 if she had been offered a role, she responded, “Oh my god no. They did not, nor do I think they would ever,” citing her age and appearance as reasons she wasn’t considered.

However, McGillis didn’t seem bothered by being excluded from Top Gun: Maverick, which became a blockbuster hit in 2022. She expressed a preference for feeling secure in her skin and age, rather than valuing superficial attributes.

McGillis was a major star in the 1980s, commanding million-dollar fees. She played astrophysicist and training school instructor Charlie Blackwood in Top Gun, a role that made a lasting impression as Maverick’s love interest. Her character was based on Christine Fox, a civilian flight instructor and mathematician who later became Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense, the highest post held by a woman at the Department of Defense.

Kelly McGillis landed the role of Charlie somewhat by chance. Scheduled to do another movie that fell through, she accepted Top Gun instead, drawn by the script and the opportunity. Her role turned her into a sex symbol, and her on-screen chemistry with Tom Cruise was apparent. Off-screen, she praised Cruise as genuine, sincere, and respectful.

Despite comparisons to great screen beauties like Grace Kelly, Ingrid Bergman, and Lauren Bacall, McGillis never saw herself that way, citing her low self-esteem from her overweight teenage years.

Although many remember McGillis for Top Gun, she has had a varied career. Her breakout role was in Witness in 1985, and she starred in the controversial film The Accused after Top Gun. Throughout the 1990s, she appeared in various television and film roles, though none revitalized her career.

McGillis eventually left Hollywood, prioritizing her family and personal life over her career. She refused roles, changed her appearance, and focused on raising her daughters, Kelsey and Sonora, with her then-husband Fred Tillman. They opened a restaurant in Key West, Florida, and lived a more private life.

Her personal struggles, including excessive drinking and grappling with her sexuality, made her time away from Hollywood challenging. In 2002, McGillis divorced Tillman and came out as a lesbian in 2009. She later married Melanie Leis, though their relationship ended in 2011.

Today, McGillis lives a quiet life in Hendersonville, North Carolina, where she teaches acting. She has largely stepped away from acting, with her last credited role in the 2018 TV movie Maternal Secrets. McGillis has openly discussed how Hollywood is unkind to women over 50, and she has chosen not to alter her appearance to fit industry standards.

Her absence from Top Gun: Maverick led to questions about her whereabouts. Director Joseph Kosinski stated that the film’s direction with different characters was why McGillis wasn’t included, not her appearance.