‘Top Gun': A Short History of the Volleyball Scene (Photos)

Director Tony Scott knew full well that women and men alike would likely be titilated by the sight of shirtless actors Tom Cruise (Maverick), Anthony Edwards (Goose), Val Kilmer(Iceman) and Rick Rossovich (Slider) — and eagerly put the film’s pretty-boy pilots on fully oiled display.

[...] famous for his provocative fashion and celebrity photography, Weber’s first book served as inspiration for the look of the Navy pilots depicted in “Top Gun.”

[...] Paramount executives were nervous about it, too, frightened that Scott may have been taking too much inspiration from Weber — whose artistic photos of nude and scantily clad men were most popular within the gay community at the time.

In the scene, Maverick and Goose play volleyball against Mav’s ultimate adversary, Iceman, and his co-pilot Slider.

Capturing the fighter jet ariels required painstaking levels of effort by filmmakers — from winning approval from skeptical U.S. Navy leaders to mounting cameras to the planes.

Rossovich added some extra acting prowess to the sporty sequence, showing a closeness with Iceman (Kilmer) by putting him in a friendly headlock and performing muscleman poses — which all made the final cut.