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Here's Why Kelly McGillis Didn't Return for 'Top Gun: Maverick' - Her Comments Differ from the Director's

Some fans might be sad to see that Kelly McGillis, who played Charlie in the original Top Gun movie, is not in the sequel.

Charlie was the love interest of Tom Cruise‘s character Maverick in the original 1986 movie and Jennifer Connelly is playing his new love interest in 2022′s Top Gun: Maverick.

Jennifer plays Penny Benjamin, a character who was referenced in the original movie, but never seen.

Both Kelly and Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski have spoken out about why she’s not in the new movie, and their opinions are definitely very different.

Click to the next slide to see what the director said about Kelly McGillis not returning…

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Top Gun's Kelly McGillis Wasn't Asked to Return for Sequel

Kelly McGillis says she wasn’t invited to be a part of the Top Gun sequel.

The 62-year-old actress – who played Charlie, Tom Cruise aka Maverick’s love interest in 1986′s Top Gun – will not appear in Top Gun: Maverick.

When asked if she would step out for any promo events for the Joseph Kosinski-directed sequel, Kelly told ET, “You know what, I don’t know how to answer that because one, it hasn’t happened. Two, if and when it did happen, I would have to assess where I am, what I’m doing, what’s going on … I can’t project what I would or wouldn’t do in the future. I have no idea because I don’t know where I’ll be.”

“Movies are odd things,” she continued. “I don’t really keep in touch with anybody. I think I’ve spoken to a couple of people occasionally, but the truth is, movies are very odd work situations because you have a lot of people who come together from all different parts of the world.”

When asked about her feelings concerning Jennifer Connelly playing Maverick’s love interest in the new film, Kelly said she is “so glad that she got that opportunity.”

While discussing why she ended up leaving Hollywood, Kelly explained that she “got sober” and was “on a journey to figure out who the hell” she was.

“I think just my priorities in life changed,” Kelly McGillis added. “It wasn’t like a major decision that I made to leave, it was just that other things became more important. 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.”

Top Gun: Maverick hits theaters on June 26, 2020. Watch the trailer.

READ MORE: Tom Cruise Makes Surprise Appearance at Comic-Con 2019!

Top Gun's Kelly McGillis Was Attacked in Her Own Home

Top Gun actress Kelly McGillis, who played the love interest of Tom Cruise‘s character in the 1986 film, was attacked in her own home last week.

The actress says that a stranger broke into her home in North Carolina last week.

“I’m alright. Scratched and bruise,” Kelly wrote in a Facebook post. “I feel very thankful it turned out well. But who I feel heartache for is the little girl that was with her. Mental illness takes many hostages. I don’t know her name…but I would like to asked that you pray for her and her mother.”

The woman that attacked Kelly, whose name is Laurence Marie Dorn, was charged with “second-degree burglary, misdemeanor larceny, misdemeanor stalking, assault and battery, and interfering with emergency communication,” according to WYFF4.