Paramount expected big things from “Top Gun: Maverick,” but maybe not this big. In only three weeks in theaters, the film has soared past the $800 million mark at the global box office. That not only makes it the studio’s second highest-grossing movie ever but the most money a Tom Cruise movie has ever pulled in. “Maverick” surpasses Cruise’s previous record of $791.1 million with “Mission: Impossible – Fallout.” Given Cruise’s star power, this is a huge deal and a testament to what a phenomenon Joseph Kosinski’s film really is.
And Tom Cruise isn’t the only “Maverick” star relishing the film’s massive success. As Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Jennifer Connelly, Monica Barbaro, and other actors make their publicity rounds for the movie, it’s clear they’re all super proud of what they’ve accomplished onscreen. But Teller may have everyone beat for the best story from the “Maverick” set. EW reports that in a late-night interview with Seth Meyers, Teller broke out in hives on the blockbuster’s set and, after having bloodwork done, got a legendary response about it from Cruise.
Teller to Meyers, “We landed, and I’m just like, ‘Man, I’m not feeling too good.’ I was really hot and I just started itching like crazy. So I get out of the jet and I’m just covered in hives – like, head to toe.” After an oatmeal bath, Teller went to the doctor for a blood test. “My bloodwork comes back and I have flame retardant, pesticides, and jet fuel in my blood,” continued Teller. Teller wasn’t fazed by the results, though, and it led to what he called a “very cool Tom [Cruise] moment.” When Teller returned to set, Cruise asked him about his test results. “I was like, ‘Well, Tom, it turns out I have fuel in my blood,” said Teller, “[and] without skipping a beat, Tom just goes, ‘Yeah, I was born with it, kid.'”
So, there you have it: Tom Cruise has jet fuel for blood, and that’s what makes him such a driven movie star. Teller also stars in Kosinski’s latest movie, “Spiderhead,” out on Netflix today.
