The Rush: Cast of Top Gun: Maverick discuss which pro athletes are mavericks in their sports
Jon Hamm, Bashir Salahuddin, and Charles Parnell of the upcoming blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick join the Rush to discuss which pro athletes represent the maverick archetype, their favorite sports moments that get their hearts racing, and which sports icons they’d love to portray on screen. Be sure to check out Top Gun: Maverick opening in theaters on May 27!
Video Transcript
- I just want to manage the expectations.
- What the hell?
- Good morning, aviators. This is your captain speaking.
- And we're off.
JARED QUAY: What's up, everybody? I'm here with Jon Hamm, Charles Parnell, and Bashir Salahuddin. All you guys are in the upcoming blockbuster "Top Gun-- Maverick." Thank you guys for joining.
JON HAMM: Thanks for having us.
CHARLES PARNELL: Thank you.
JARED QUAY: The film is called "Top Gun-- Maverick." So what sports stars come to mind when you hear the word maverick?
JON HAMM: Well, that's a good one.
BASHIR SALAHUDDIN: I mean, I'm born and raised in Chicago. So when I hear any words, I immediately think Michael Jordan.
[LAUGHTER]
CHARLES PARNELL: When I think maverick, I think of Allen Iverson because he was-- at his time, he was the first player to wear tattoos, the first player to dress in, you know, the hip hop-ish style. But even though he didn't do things the way other people did, you're talking about practice.
ALLEN IVERSON: We're talking about practice. We ain't talking about the game. We're talking about practice, man.
CHARLES PARNELL: When he was in the game, he gave his life, his blood, his sweat, and his tears. And that's what maverick does. He doesn't do it the way everyone else does. But he gives you his all.
JON HAMM: Oh, I'll keep it going with the basketball theme. But I'll go the other way because I think-- I look at Tom. And he's got a million-dollar smile. And yeah, he's a maverick. But he's the best at what he does.
And I've been watching a lot of '80s Lakers stuff these days.
BASHIR SALAHUDDIN: Yeah.
JON HAMM: Got to think about Magic Johnson and--
CHARLES PARNELL: Yeah.
JON HAMM: --how he changed the game and how he brought that fast break style to everybody's living room. And it really made basketball as exciting as it has become over the course of the last three decades, four decades.
JARED QUAY: Nobody going to say Dirk when you think of Mavericks. All right, cool.
[LAUGHTER]
JON HAMM: Dirk Nowitzki.
JARED QUAY: Charles, this one's for you. This movie "Top Gun" is intense. All right, a thrill ride through and through. So what sporting event have you seen or watch that kind of gives you the same feeling of thrilling from end to end?
CHARLES PARNELL: Well, since I'm a basketball fan, I would say like a great seven-game NBA series where it just goes back and forth and back and forth. And no matter who wins at the end, both teams have gained a certain respect for each other. So there's got to be a winner, but in the end they've learned to respect each other and respect the craft that each of them has to perform.
JARED QUAY: There we go. A "Top Gun" is a seven-game series in the playoffs.
JON HAMM: Look, we're just about to start the Stanley Cup playoffs too. And I think that when you see what those guys go through and how much they leave on the ice after every game, and it's-- all you got to do is win 16 games. But it takes about two months to do that. And it's not easy.
And I had the very good fortune to watch my hometown St. Louis Blues win the cup in 2019. And when those guys get through that, they have accomplished something. It is-- it's impressive to watch.
JARED QUAY: Yeah, I know all three of you guys are in this movie. But this question is all three of you. If you could act as one sports star and play them in a biopic, who would be your dream road to personify on screen?
BASHIR SALAHUDDIN: Gosh, Hank Aaron. In American history and specifically sports history, whenever you're at the cutting edge of something, there's a tremendous amount of pressure. You know, when we look back on it, we go, oh, yeah, he broke, you know, Babe Ruth's record. And it was wonderful.
But at the time, there were people desperately trying to stop that from happening. But he had to just live in himself and his family and his friends and his God. And he had to get it done.
JON HAMM: I'll keep it in baseball. And I'll say Stan Musial. Because first of all, his nickname was "The Man." Like, that's just-- that's a solid nickname-- Stan, "The Man." But I'm from-- as I mentioned, from St. Louis. And he is such an interwoven piece of not only Cardinals history but St. Louis history.
And he's a Hall of Famer. He gave so much back to the community. And he not only played the game so well but served his country, manage the team. Like, he just did everything. And it's an important part of my sports history growing up here, so.
CHARLES PARNELL: I'll keep mine short. I'm a Chicago boy from the South Side and a Cubs fan. So I will say Ernie Banks.
JON HAMM: Oh, yeah, there it is.
CHARLES PARNELL: The shining light in a long suffering franchise that no matter what was happening with them, you could always count on the light of Ernie Banks.
JARED QUAY: Oh, man I love it. I love all three. Look, I also love the movie. And if you're watching these guys, please make sure you check out "Top Gun-- Maverick" open in May 27. Thank you guys for rushing with me today.
BASHIR SALAHUDDIN: Thank you.
CHARLES PARNELL: Thank you.
JON HAMM: [INAUDIBLE]