Top Gun 2: Who Played Goose’s Son In The Original Movie (& Why They Were Recast)

Goose’s son, Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, will be played by Miles Teller in Top Gun: Maverick, but that’s not who played him in the original movie. In Top Gun, Bradley was portrayed by identical twins Aaron and Adam Weis, who have since moved on from acting. In the summer of 2018, it was confirmed that Thank You For Your Service and Fantastic Four star Miles Teller had been cast as the son of Maverick’s Top Gun co-pilot, Goose (Anthony Edwards).

Nick “Goose” Bradshaw was an important character in the movie, and both his wife and son were present in the movie. Meg Ryan, whose career had yet to take off at this time, played his wife, Carole. Goose’s son, Bradley, is best-remembered for the line, “goodness, gracious, great balls of fire.” The child was around four during the events of the movie, but will be well into his thirties when he appears, in a much larger capacity, in the long-delayed sequel, Top Gun: Maverick. Now Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, Goose’s son will train under Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell alongside a whole class of young Navy pilots.

But what happened to the original twin child actors who played Bradley Bradshaw in the first movie? According to Aaron and Adam Weis, neither was contacted about reprising the role, and the reason for that is quite simple, actually. The Weis twins are no longer acting, and are now in the teaching profession. (via San Diego Union-Tribune). Aaron Weis is a sixth grade teacher, while Adam is a fifth grade teacher. Their only other acting appearance outside of Top Gun was a SeaWorld commercial with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Also, the Weis twins weren’t even credited in Top Gun, and instead were counted as extras.

Obviously, the studio wanted a known actor with experience to play such an important role in Top Gun: Maverick. Based on the fact that the Weis twins didn’t pursue careers in acting, this is one case where bringing back the original actor wasn’t an option that the studio could have explored. Regardless, their absence is another example of how much the cast has changed for Top Gun: Maverick, which will only feature two familiar faces: Tom Cruise’s Maverick and Val Kilmer’s Iceman.

It’s starting to look like the only major returning actor is Tom Cruise, as there’s a growing concern among fans that Iceman, despite his importance to the first film, will die early on in Top Gun 2. Based on his absence from the trailers, there may be a limit of how much screen time he receives in the movie. Then there’s the matter of Carole Bradshaw, who may have been recast as well, especially since Meg Ryan won’t be coming back. Either way, the lack of returning actors will force Top Gun: Maverick to introduce a whole new cast of compelling characters for fans to fall in love with.

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