Yes, Top Gun: Maverick 's Bob is Bill Pullman's son Lewis
Top Gun: Maverick is full of familiar faces from the original 1986 movie: Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer (and Anthony Edwards, Meg Ryan, and Kelly McGillis, at least in flashback footage). But the crop of new recruits also has some recognizable names in its ranks.
The new class is led by "Rooster" (Whiplash breakout Miles Teller) and "Hangman" (Hidden Figures' Glen Powell). Then there's "Phoenix" (UnReal and The Good Cop alum Monica Barbaro), "Payback" (Insecure's Jay Ellis), and "Fanboy" (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and On My Block's Danny Ramirez).
You may also recognize Bob as the guy who played Rhett Abbott on Outer Range or Major Major on Catch-22 — or you might watch and think, "he reminds me of someone...." That may be because he's played by Lewis Pullman, the eldest son of actor Bill Pullman (who played a president who used to be a fighter pilot in Independence Day, so taking flight seems to run in the family, apparently).
Scott Garfield/Paramount; Everett Collection Lewis Pullman in 'Top Gun: Maverick'; Bill Pullman in 'Independence Day'
Lewis and some of his castmates enjoyed three rounds with EW recently, and the actor opened up about growing up Pullman: "I wasn't allowed to watch TV growing up, weirdly enough. But we were allowed to watch two movies a week and we would go to Blockbuster. But also I spent a lot of time in Montana and we had a set of VHS [tapes], one of which was Legend, starring Tom Cruise," he says of his early exposure to his Maverick castmate and producer. "He's a young 'un in that and he is incredible. It's one of those movies that's so fantastical and mythological, and he had such conviction, I remember thinking that was pretty spectacular."
When costar Greg Davis asks Lewis if his father had any influence on his career, the 29-year-old replies, "That goes without saying. I go to him with any questions any time. Nobody can understand the weird problems you might have as well as him, because he knows me better than anyone. He also knows the business better than anyone."
Even if you instantly identify Lewis Pullman as Bob, plenty of eagle-eyed viewers may miss another famous face among the mission recruits: The Good Place's Manny Jacinto. The Nine Perfect Strangers alum is credited as Lt. Billy 'Fritz' Avalone, though he is basically only seen in a few wide shots at the bar and in soft focus behind Teller's Rooster in some of the classroom shots.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, Danny Ramirez, Jay Ellis, Lyliana Wray, Bashir Salahuddin, Miles Teller, Charles Parnell, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly, Jake Picking, Tom Cruise, Lewis Pullman, Jean Louisa Kelly, Greg Tarzan Davis, Kara Wang, Raymond Lee, Jack Schumacher and Manny Jacinto attend the Global Premiere of 'Top Gun: Maverick' in San Diego, Calif.
We never actually get to hear Jacinto speak. Maybe he was actually playing his Good Place character, Jason, pretending to be a monk again?
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