What Top Gun's Kelly McGillis Has Been Doing Since The Peak Of Her Fame In The '80s

It's hard to believe that 40 years have passed since the original "Top Gun" blockbuster debuted in theaters. The film even managed to bump itself into the top 50 longest-running film franchises following the 2022 sequel "Top Gun: Maverick." Considering the gap between films, it's natural that some actors wouldn't be available to reprise their roles. However, when you're front and center on the original movie poster like actress Kelly McGillis, fans may question your glaring absence.

After making waves in her 1985 film "Witness" alongside Harrison Ford, being cast as Tom Cruise's love interest for the fighter-jet action flick marked a rapid start to her career. Despite her trajectory for superstardom, McGillis retreated from the public eye in the early '90s. She moved to Key West, Florida, to open "Kelly's Caribbean" restaurant with her second husband, Fred Tillman, in 1993. In an interview with the Associated Press that same year, McGillis explained her hands-on hospitality management as "I feel it's my responsibility. It has my name on it, and I care a great deal about what goes on."

Unfortunately, McGillis experienced a litany of tragic life moments before, during, and after the move to Florida. With the heavy responsibility of repairing the relationship with her two daughters as well as herself, a Hollywood lifestyle just wasn't a good fit. However, with her love for acting and theater still intact, she used her brush with stardom to influence the rest of her career.

Kelly McGillis' transformation since ditching Hollywood may have left her unrecognizable, but in the best way possible. After decades of managing substance abuse issues and coming to terms with her sexuality, the "At First Sight" actress was given a new lease on life. She told The Independent in February 2014, "I'd cameo in it maybe!" when asked about appearing in a "Top Gun" sequel.

Using her passion for helping others and her own industry expertise, teaching became her logical next step. She hosted an acting class in the summer of 2008 at Community School of Music and the Arts in Reading, Pennsylvania. Although far from a permanent gig, she would step back into the classroom as a workshop instructor at the Meisner Acting Conservatory in Spring 2017. McGillis spent 11 seasons with the National Shakespeare Theater, equipping her with the skills to teach both Shakespeare for Actors and On-Camera Acting for Film.

Despite having expressed some enthusiasm for the "Top Gun" sequel less than a decade prior, an interview with Entertainment Tonight from 2019 showcased how things had changed for the actress. She reportedly hadn't been invited to star in the sequel, and she wasn't alone, as stars like Meg Ryan who we don't hear from anymore, were also not included in the movie. But McGillis seemed to be okay with the fact. "I feel really blessed that I don't have to work, you know? But I get the option to work, so I'm really blessed in that way. Not many people get that option later in life, so I feel very lucky."