7. Bill Cortell “Cougar” (John Stockwell)
Then: Stockwell starred in movies such as “Christine” and “Losin’ It” before he was cast in “Top Gun”. His role in the action flick was that of Bill “Cougar” Cortell, Maverick’s wingman in the beginning of the movie. Cougar disagreed with Maverick’s reckless flying tactics.
Now: Stockwell went on to direct many movies after his gig in “Top Gun”. Some of the movies he directed include “Into the Blue”, “Crazy/Beautiful”, “Turistas” and “Blue Crush”. He had acted in these movies as well. His most noted role in recent times must be in “Nixon”. Another movie that he directed was “In the Blood”, starring Gina Carano. His other roles in recent times include “Seal Team 6: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden” and “Breaking the Girls”.
8. Sam Wells “Merlin” (Tim Robbins)
Then: In the same year that “Top Gun” was released, another movie starring Robbins was also released. It was based on a comic book titled “Howard the Duck”. In “Top Gun”, Merlin was largely a supporting cast. Merlin was Maverick’s class mate and a naval aviator at the academy.
Now: After “Top Gun”, Tim Robbins starred in various projects like “The Hudsucker Proxy”, “Bull Durham”, Arlington Road”, “The Shawshank Redemption”, “Mystic River”, “Dead Man Walking” and “High Fidelity”. In 2005, Robbins joined forces with Cruise for the movie adaptation of HG Wells’ “War of the Worlds”. His later projects involved “Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny”. He then starred in a superhero flick “Green Lantern”. Cruise wasn’t the only “Top Gun” alumni that Wells partnered with in later projects. He also starred with Val Kilmer in the TV show “The Spoils of Babylon”, a project that also featured Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell, both of whom were Wells’ acting partners again in “Welcome Me”. Wells also acted in “Thanks for Sharing”, a dramedy.
