Tom Cruise told ET about the early screening at the film's U.K. premiere.
Tom Cruise gave Prince William an early peek at Top Gun: Maverick. ET's Rachel Smith spoke with the 59-year-old actor at the U.K. premiere of his latest film, and Cruise confirmed reports that the Duke of Cambridge was treated to an early screening of the long-awaited sequel to the 1986 flick.
"Yes, early on," Tom confirmed of the early royal screening, which he reportedly arranged after learning that William, a trained helicopter pilot who served in the Royal Air Force, was a big fan of the original movie.
"He's an aviator, so I knew he'd have a lot of fun," Tom said of William.
While Tom said that he and William have yet to fly together, he didn't rule out the possibility of doing so in the future. "Pilots are pilots. We all want to go flying," the actor said.
William and his wife, Kate Middleton, also attended the Thursday event, where they met the cast and crew of the film, as well as representatives from The Film and TV Charity, which supports people working behind the scenes in Britain's film and television industry.
"It's very special," Tom told ET of the royals' attendance. "I'm here with the actors... I wanted them to have this kind of experience. And then to have a royal premiere in England, it's very special. It's very, very special."
As for the movie itself, Tom just hopes that it's worth the decades-long wait.
"When I was a little kid I wanted to make movies," he said. "... I wanted to make films, I wanted to fly, I wanted to travel the world... and meet people. I was always curious, like, 'What's that person like?' I wanted to sit down and talk to them. I wanted to live in their world. I would dream of that. If you'd look at my films, it is that. It is that sense of adventure, that sense of travel."
"My whole life, it's been a pursuit of adventure, an interest in people and philosophy and film and art," Cruise added. "[I have been] constantly pushing myself. That's why I wasn't just going to make this movie. It's been 36 years... People [have been] asking for this. I did not want to disappoint them."
Top Gun: Maverick will hit theaters May 24.
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