Monica Barbaro Received Some Kind Words From Top Gun: Maverick Co-Star Glen Powell, And These Two Are Such Friendship Goals

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Just over three years ago, Top Gun: Maverick became a huge success, launching the careers of stars like Glen Powell and Monica Barbaro. They played Jake “Highball” Seresin and Natasha “Phoenix” Trace, two of the new pilots trained by Tom Cruise’s character, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Powell and Barbaro have stayed close since filming the Top Gun sequel, and Powell recently shared some positive comments about his friend and co-star.

Barbaro has been named to TIME’s list of the most influential rising stars for 2025, and Powell, who reconnected with her this past summer, penned the profile. He began by explaining that he immediately recognized her potential when they first collaborated on Top Gun: Maverick, stating:

It’s easy to admire Monica Barbaro. She has a calm and genuine self-assurance. I felt an instant connection with her when I first met her on the set of Top Gun: Maverick, and I knew we’d be lifelong friends. She’s incredibly talented, but even more importantly, she’s a kind and decent person. As an actress, Monica is motivated by a desire to learn-not by seeking attention-and she brings a careful and considerate approach to her roles, allowing her to truly connect with and portray the characters she plays.

This is just the newest instance showing how close the Top Gun: Maverick cast remains. Danny Ramirez, who played Mickey “Fanboy” Garcia, gave her a shout-out at the Oscars in March while she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her work in A Complete Unknown. Then, in May, Jay Ellis, who played Reuben “Payback” Fitch, shared that he, Barbaro, Ramirez, Glen Powell, Miles Teller, and other Maverick cast members “all stay in touch through group texts.” However, it seems Barbaro and Powell have a particularly strong connection, considering he was the one chosen to praise her in TIME.

As we discussed earlier, last year Monica Barbaro played Joan Baez in A Complete Unknown, the movie about Bob Dylan starring Timothée Chalamet. Glen Powell also praised her performance as the well-known folk singer and shared his belief that she has a promising career ahead of her:

Seeing her completely become Joan Baez in A Complete Unknown was truly remarkable. It takes immense skill to capture someone else’s essence and portray them convincingly on film, and she did so with apparent ease, which earned her an Oscar nomination. I believe this performance is just the start of a successful career for Monica, and I’m eager to see her future work. She has the talent to achieve anything she puts her mind to. The possibilities are endless for her.

In addition to her roles in Top Gun: Maverick and A Complete Unknown, Monica Barbaro recently appeared alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Netflix series FUBAR, which unfortunately ended after two seasons. Her next project is Crime 101, where she’ll act with Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Halle Berry, and Barry Keoghan; it’s scheduled for release on February 13, 2026. As of late July, she was filming Artificial – a movie without a confirmed release date – alongside her boyfriend, Andrew Garfield.

As a film buff, I’m really enjoying Glen Powell’s work right now! You can catch him heading the cast in Hulu’s Chad Powers, and he’s also taking the lead in the upcoming movie adaptation of Stephen King’s The Running Man this November. It seems pretty likely to me that if Top Gun 3 ever gets made, we’ll see both Barbaro and Powell reprise their roles. Though, honestly, I wouldn’t mind seeing them collaborate on something else *before* then! What I appreciate most is that these two clearly have a genuine friendship off-screen, which is always great to see.

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2025-10-01 04:08