Kelly McGillis says she wasn’t asked to be in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

Though her “Top Gun” co-stars may have a ”need for speed” in the 1986 film, Kelly McGillis said she wants something a little slower.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, McGillis, who starred as Tom Cruise’s love interest Charlie in the film, revealed she wasn’t invited to be part of the 2020 “Top Gun” sequel. USA TODAY has reached out to reps for Paramount Pictures and Cruise for comment and McGillis for any additional statement.

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“You know what, I don’t know how to answer that because one, it hasn’t happened,” the 62-year-old said when asked if fans would see her at any promotional events for the upcoming “Top Gun: Maverick” movie. “Two, if and when it did happen, I would have to assess where I am, what I’m doing, what’s going on ... I can’t project what I would or wouldn’t do in the future. I have no idea because I don’t know where I’ll be.”

According to ET, McGillis said she hasn’t even seen the sequel’s trailer yet.

“Movies are odd things. I don’t really keep in touch with anybody,” she said. “I think I’ve spoken to a couple of people occasionally, but the truth is, movies are very odd work situations because you have a lot of people who come together from all different parts of the world.”

Although she hasn’t had a hand in the sequel, McGillis wishes the best to Jennifer Connelly, who will star opposite Cruise in the 2020 installment, saying she’s “so glad that she got that opportunity.”

”I’m glad for her,” she added.

Even though fans of the original film may be disappointed McGillis won’t be reprising her part, “The Accused” actress said her priorities have shifted away from acting.

“I think just my priorities in life changed,” she said. ”It wasn’t like a major decision that I made to leave, it was just that other things became more important. I love acting, I love what I do, I love doing theater, but I don’t know. To me, my relationships to other people became far more important than my relationship to fame.”

According to McGillis, acting made it difficult to have a sense of self. Now McGillis said she finds herself ”in transition, moving into a different phase of life.”

“It was very challenging for me to have any kind of sense of self or self-identity or real self-worth other than what I did for a living,” said McGillis, who shares two daughters with her ex-husband Fred Tillman. “And it just – it didn’t become a priority; what became the priority initially was raising my girls and being the best sober parent I could be.”

Though her on-screen escapades in the fighter-pilot franchise may be over, McGillis, added she hopes her next adventures keep her grounded.

“I am a home person. I’m really rooted in my home life ... I can’t remember the last time I worked,” she said. “I feel really blessed that I don’t have to work, you know? But I get the option to work, so I’m really blessed in that way. Not many people get that option later in life, so I feel very lucky.”

Read more at usatoday.com.