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Miles Teller has been riding high off after the release of Top Gun: Maverick back in May — and of course the movie got a mention in on Saturday Night Live. During his first ever gig hosting the legendary weekend sketch program, Miles took to the stage to poke fun at his role as Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw in both his monologue and a sketch dedicated to the wildly popular film starring Tom Cruise.
“This year I was in a movie called Top Gun: Maverick. What I loved about the movie is it really seemed to pull people together — I mean it’s not every day that you get a movie that’s loved by the military community and the gay community,” Miles joked as he introduced the 48th season. The Whiplash actor made no secret of the fact that the hosting duties were an honor — a sentiment similar to those he’s expressed about appearing alongside Risky Business legend Tom.
“That worked out. It was also amazing getting to work with Tom Cruise. That guy is a legend. We both pushed ourselves to the absolute limit for this movie…he did his own stunts and I grew my own mustache,” he added.
Miles has previously opened up about what it was like starring in the film alongside Tom. “I was a little apprehensive about stepping into something that was kind of set up to be this huge thing,” he said in a May Zoom interview, per The Hindustan Times. “I’ve been in a couple of big movies, but for the most part I’ve tended to do some smaller scale things. So, I was nervous about kind of lending myself to that world, but it’s something that I also was just incredibly proud and really honored to be a part of.”
He also didn’t shy away from what it means when a film icon chooses you for a role. “I mean, when Tom Cruise handpicks you to be his co-star in a movie and to play the son of Goose, those are big shoes to fill,” he continued. “So I just felt like if Tom thinks I’m the right guy, then I think I’m the right guy too. Tom just never stops working and he’s never really even satisfied with good or great. He puts so much time into these movies that you see him in. And so his work ethic was something that I found really inspiring.”
Miles explained that an action movie like Maverick also gives him an opportunity to be “extreme.” “I think in my life I’m pretty chill,” the War Dogs star said. “So, these movies and certain performances, give me an opportunity to kind of go to the extreme that you’re not able to go to in life. You’re able to do some things through these scenes that if you were to do in real life, people would say, ‘Oh my God! This guy is so dramatic or this guy is too intense’. So I do tend to gravitate towards those roles. I love when the stakes are high, I really enjoy movies that aren’t afraid to kind of push the envelope a little bit.”
Certainly, his first hosting gig on Saturday Night Live was high stakes, as well — and a huge success to add to his resume.