'Top Gun' star Kelly McGillis says she was not asked to return for the sequel with Tom Cruise: 'I am too old and fat'
Kelly McGillis, the bombshell love interest of Maverick in the original 'Top Gun' movie in 1986, recently opened up in an interview about why she is not involved in the upcoming sequel to the Tom Cruise-starrer classic.
Revealing that she was not asked to return for the upcoming movie, the 62-year-old actress told ET: "Oh god no. They did not, nor do I think they would ever. I'm old and I'm fat and I look age-appropriate for what my age is, and that is not what that whole scene is about."
She added that she would much rather feel totally secure in her own skin and what age she is rather than placing a value on that stuff. In the first film, Kelly looked absolutely stunning with her blonde curls, a tiny waistline, and also killer legs. She also had great chemistry with Cruise who was in his 20s at the time of the original 1986 film.
However, McGillis chose to give up on fame and moved to Pennsylvania in 2002.
Despite having an enviable career which includes acting in films such as 'Witness' with Harrison Ford and 'The Accused' with Jodie Foster, McGillis chose to walk away from fame to raise a family.
"It didn't become a priority," she shared of her film career. "I love acting, I love what I do, I love doing theater, but I don't know. To me, my relationships to other people became far more important than my relationship to fame," she said.
Kelly said that she also wanted to focus on her health and get sober. "What became the priority initially was raising my girls and being the best sober parent I could be."
McGillis also shared that she is happy that another actress will be taking over her role for the 2020 film.
In the sequel, Cruise's love interest will be played by Jennifer Connelly, who is best known for her Oscar-winning movie 'A Beautiful Mind'.
Cruise confirmed to ET last July that Connelly would be joining the cast and said: "Look, she's a great actress, obviously ... [and] when you see the film, you'll see why she's perfect for it. We're just going to have a great cast. Gonna be a lot of fun."
McGillis said that she does not feel compelled to go watch 'Top Gun: Maverick' in the theatre. "I’m not racing to the theater, and I’m not racing away from the theater to see it," she revealed.