Charlie Blackwood, an astronaut and Top Gun civilian instructor took Maverick by surprise. Theirs was a filmtic love story that will be remembered for a lifetime. She almost wasn’t in the original film.
“I didn’t want to do it—there,” she recalled to The Guardian2001. “But because I had done it.” WitnessParamount had a film I owed them, so my agent suggested that they do it. I took one look at it and said, ‘This is like a Western in the sky—I don’t wanna do this.’ The act wasn’t all about acting. It was more about playing a cartoon character. Do you see what I’m referring to? You could do it blindfolded. The fact that this gave me chances I didn’t have otherwise made it something I am grateful for. However, I still showed up to work on time, completed my tasks, had fun with other boys and played baseball before heading home. It felt as if I were at camp. It’s hard to believe they even hired me.
McGillis next portrayed a prosecutor seeking justice for a rape victim played by eventual Oscar winner Jodie Foster in The Accused. She kept acting the likes of The Babe, North and many smaller films and TV movies, but she also opened a restaurant in Florida with her yacht mogul second husband, Fred Tillman, in the 1990s and put acting on the back burner.
She has two daughters with Tillman, whom she divorced in 2002. She came out as gay in 2009 and had a civil union ceremony with Melanie LeisIn 2010, they split up.
“I think just my priorities in life changed,” McGillis told Entertainment Tonight In 2019, North Carolina will be my home. It wasn’t a big decision I had to make. [acting]It was simply that there were other important things. Acting is something I enjoy, and I also love theater. But I’m not sure what that means. My relationships with other people were more important to me than my fame.
Her words continued: “I’m a home-person.” I am deeply rooted in my family life. It’s a blessing that I don’t have to work. However, I have the opportunity to work so that I feel truly blessed. It’s not often that you get the opportunity to work later in your life. I consider myself very fortunate.”