Top Gun (1986), plus Embeth Davidtz

Film Stories with Simon Brew

Simon Brew

Tv & Film, Film History

4.9 • 767 Ratings

🗓️ 6 October 2025

⏱️ 73 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It started as a magazine article, and ended up as a global phenomenon. Yet the journey to 1986's Top Gun wasn't a straightforward one. You have cast members unsure if they wanted to commit and a studio that took a long time to decide it wanted the film. Then, director Tony Scott started shooting the movie in a way that, er, Paramount Pictures wasn't keen on. For the second half of this episode, it was a thrill to be joined by Embeth Davidtz. Primarily known for her acting work - and Matilda comes up! - she chats about writing and directing Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight, and the six year journey to get it to the screen. Plus, a bit on fonts, too... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, this is Simon Brew.
0:04.9	I'm the editor of Film Stories magazine.
0:09.1	And a very warm welcome to the Film Stories podcast.
0:23.2	Come with me.
0:27.0	And I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.
0:28.4	And movies.
0:30.2	Movies that had stories.
0:32.6	That the story just sucks a man.
0:33.7	This is just the beginning.
0:40.0	We would be honored if you would join us.
0:46.5	Hello and a very warm welcome to film stories with Simon Brew.
0:51.6	I am a very diseased Simon Brew, but that's absolutely everything you need to know about me.
0:54.1	The aim of the podcast, though, is given away by the title. I'm here to talk of the stories of films, and I tend to talk about me. The aim of the podcast though is given away by the title.
0:58.5	I'm here to talk of the stories of films and I tend to talk about marketing stories, production stories, release stories, distribution stories, all the ingredients really that go towards making
1:03.6	the films that we know and sometimes love, just that the films that we know and sometimes love.
1:09.6	The films I tend to cover on this podcast, I lean more
1:12.1	towards the mainstream than anything else. They're films I'm interested in or invested in to some
1:16.5	degree. I try not to do snark. I try not to punch down. This podcast is a celebration of cinema
1:22.2	and a real appreciation that somehow, somehow, films managed to get made.
1:31.7	Film Stories is also a very proud part of the Film Stories Podcast Network,
1:35.2	a network of over 50 shows covering films, TV, gaming.
1:37.7	But you just do a search for Film Stories Podcast Network.
	...

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