10 More Insane Reasons Actors Didn't Return For Sequels

As sequels get greenlit and franchises and their stories expand, naturally new characters will join the fray while certain others will find that there is no longer any room for them. What is frustrating, though, is when these absences aren't explained or even addressed.

At the end of Top Gun, the final frames focus on something of a happy ever after for Maverick and Charlie, but when the story is picked up 36 years later in Top Gun: Maverick, not only does Charlie not return, but she is never even so much as mentioned.

Again, this is another omission that has two different explanations depending on which story you believe. According to Maverick director Joseph Kosinski, Charlie made no appearance in the legacy sequel because the story needed to prioritise new characters. However, Kelly McGillis, who portrayed the character all those years ago, has a different and much more upsetting view on the situation.

McGillis told Entertainment Weekly quite brutally that the reason she hadn't been asked to return was because she looked appropriate for her age, rather than a typical movie star. In her own words, she has grown "old and fat", and it's upsetting that this feels like a more likely reason than the story simply focusing on other characters.