Glen Powell Reveals What Jon Hamm Did For All The 'Young Guns' On The Top: Gun Maverick Set

Top Gun: Maverick was an entertaining cinematic experience for a number of reasons. However, what’s been most fun to see are the on and off-camera interactions between the movie’s stars. The cast was filled with a mixture of up-and-coming actors and seasoned performers. Glen Powell, who’s been making quite a name for himself as of late, seemed to enjoy the experience of working with industry veterans like Tom Cruise and Jon Hamm. In fact, Powell recently revealed what Hamm did for all of the film’s “young guns” during production.

Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, Danny Ramirez and co. were faced with quite a few challenges when they first arrived in San Diego in 2018 to film Top Gun: Maverick. Not only were they working on a sequel to one of the biggest movies of all time, but they also had to somehow keep up with the energy that Tom Cruise brings to a set. That’s a lot on an actor’s shoulders but, as Powell explained, Jon Hamm found a way to take away some stress relatively early: 

As soon as we got to San Diego to shoot TG: Maverick, Jon Hamm treated all the ‘young guns’ to dinner and let us know his trailer door was always open for advice or sports games. Hamm is a great teammate and this reminds me how cool it is to watch a legend put skin in the game.

The 33-year-old actor’s Twitter post was a response to another story about the Mad Men alum. Not too long ago, it was reported that the A-lister gave up a massive chunk of his salary for his new movie – Confess, Fletch – so that it could actually get made. Given this recent revelation, it’s not too shocking that he would be so generous with his time when it came to his Maverick co-stars. So I definitely agree with the “Hangman” actor in that it’s great to see the Emmy winner pay it forward.

This isn’t the first time that Glen Powell has spoken about how helpful one of his colleagues was during the shoot. Powell previously discussed the “pressure” that he felt while making the flick and explained that Tom Cruise helped him by giving some advice. Cruise noted that “pressure is a privilege,” meaning that high expectations come with plenty of opportunities. 

Well, the cast and crew certainly didn’t waste this opportunity to deliver a follow-up to the beloved 1984 aviation movie. Even months after its release, Top Gun: Maverick has still been slugging it out at the box office with more recent new movie releases. It’s not hard to see why, given the sentimental story, impressive aerial feats and the actors’ impressive work. Of course, I’m sure the football sequence didn’t hurt it, either. Jon Hamm was actually left out of the shirtless beach scene but, per the actor, he had no problem with keeping his shirt and shoes on. 

Stories like Glen Powell’s not only shed light on the kindness of stars like Jon Hamm, but they also further cement the fact that the actors really bonded while on set. One would think that Hamm’s actions will have a lasting effect on his younger colleague And as a result, when the time comes, Powell may also look to help out another group of “young guns” sometime down the line. 

Top Gun: Maverick is now available on Digital HD and will be released on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on November 1.

Erik Swann
Senior Content Producer

Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.