When Monica Barbaro showed up to read for Top Gun: Maverick, director Joseph Kosinski didn’t ask for a scene. He asked two survival questions. On Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Barbaro said Kosinski opened the audition by quizzing her about real-world fears and whether she could handle the water work the movie would demand.
"Are you claustrophobic?" I was like, "No." And he was like, "Are you able to swim?" I said, Yes. It's just Top Gun, right?"
Only later did he spell out why: the cast would have to complete intense aviation survival prep — including emergency ejection drills and water-survival exercises — before ever climbing into the jets. Barbaro admitted she wasn’t a naturally confident swimmer, but the challenge hooked her anyway.
"Cool, go, go, go."
Barbaro went on to play naval aviator Lt. Natasha “Phoenix” Trace in the 2022 sequel — her only appearance in the franchise so far — joining Tom Cruise’s team of pilots for the film’s grueling in-cockpit sequences.
That bet paid off for the franchise. Released in 2022, Maverick soared past $1.5 billion worldwide, becoming Cruise’s highest-grossing movie, and scored six Oscar nominations including Best Picture, ultimately winning Best Sound.
Top Gun 3 status
Paramount has said a third Top Gun 3 is in development, with Cruise set to return as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and key creative partners back on board.
- Tom Cruise — returning as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell
- Jerry Bruckheimer — producer
- Ehren Kruger — screenwriter
No casting announcement yet for Barbaro’s Phoenix. The studio is currently aiming to have the sequel ready around 2028.