ET chatted with 'Top Gun: Maverick' stars Jay Ellis and Charles Parnell at the 95th Academy Awards.
The Top Gun: Maverick crew is ready to party! ET chatted with stars Jay Ellis and Charles Parnell on the red carpet of the 95th Academy Awards, where they joked that things could get a little loud if the film wins any of its six nominations of the night.
"It makes you feel like one of the cool kids," Parnell, who stars as Rear Admiral Solomon "Warlock" Bates in the film, says of being at the Oscars. "Everybody wants to come but you don't just want to be hanging by the wall, you want to be in the mix. We get to be hopeful until the end of the night. 'Til the very last card is read."
Ellis, who stars as Lt. Reuben "Payback" Fitch in Maverick, jokes he will be "storming the stage" if the cast wins the night's biggest category -- Best Picture.
"I'm storming the stage and grabbing the mic," the Insecure alum jokes, with Parnell adding that if the film wins all six nominations, he'll run alongside Ellis.
Besides Best Picture, the film is also nominated for Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Film Editing, Sound, Music (Original Song) and Visual Effects.
"Listen, for us to just be here is absolutely amazing and if we're fortunate enough to get our name called tonight, it's going to be a very loud group," Ellis says. "I'm just going to tell you right now -- we're all here. It's going to be a very loud group. We all have our own way of celebrating and you know they're going to definitely cut to commercial after us. It's going to be a hard cut."
While most of the Maverick stars will be present on the film's big night, there is a notable absence from the night's festivities: Tom Cruise.
ET previously confirmed that Cruise's absence is due to him already being back on set overseas for Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning Part II in the United Kingdom. Should the film win Best Picture, producer Jerry Bruckheimer will accept the award.
News that Cruise will not be in Hollywood for the event comes just hours after it was revealed Lady Gaga will, in fact, perform her Oscar-nominated Top Gun: Maverick single, "Hold My Hand." It had previously been reported she would not be able to make the event but plans changed and she'll now not only attend but also perform her hit song.
When asked about their co-star's absence, Ellis and Parnell chalk it up to the actor's dedication to his craft. "He's off doing TC things that make TC, TC," Parnell shares. "Working while other people are playing, stunting while other people are sleeping and saving the movie industry while people are fretting."
As for Glen Powell, Ellis joked about his co-star currently shooting a film in Australia and appearing shirtless yet again.
"I think he's a nudist at heart," Ellis cracks. "I think Glen might be a nudist at heart, sorry Glen.
Powell adds, "I think you have to ask his dermatologist to be sure."
The 2023 Academy Awards hosted by Jimmy Kimmel airs live on Sunday, March 12 starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC. In the meantime, keep checking back into ETonline.com for complete Oscars coverage including all the night's big winners.
RELATED CONTENT:
