At the time of writing, production of a new 'Top Gun' movie is well underway, with Tom Cruise returning to the part which helped launch his career thirty years ago. Somewhere in an alternative universe, it isn't Cruise revisiting his past - it's Matthew Modine, who was originally marked for the part of Maverick. Modine's career arguably needed the boost more than Cruise's did, but Modine's anti-military stance stopped him from signing on.
Modine felt like 'Top Gun' glorified the military, and didn't believe it was an appropriate stance to take at the height of the Cold War. Somewhere between 'Top Gear' and 'Full Metal Jacket,' that moral standpoint went out of the window. Modine performed admirably as Private Joker in the movie, but he would never go on to achieve the same level of success that Cruise has enjoyed throughout his career. It could all have been so different for him.
Chefs made their way into celebrity land a while ago. But how many celebrities that weren’t trained as professional cooks are actually whizzes in the kitchen? Here are several that come to mind.
Actress Julia Roberts is confident about her cooking skills. “I’m quite a good cook,” she told E! News. “I’m like a closet home ec teacher…I can really cook anything.” Roberts has said she often cooks fish for herself and her kids. And speaking of her three children, “They think that I’m a good cook,” Roberts told People. “They actually told me that I should open a restaurant.” She also relishes cooking for the holidays, particularly shredded Brussel sprouts. Roberts hasn’t published a cookbook, but we did find recipes attributed to her for peach crisp and banana hemp muffins. Or you can make the same summer salad the actress supposedly eats.
Chrissy Teigen started off as a supermodel. Then her love of cooking filtered into her professional life too. At this point, she’s created recipes for a limited Blue Apron release and also just launched her own home and cooking line at Target named “Cravings,” after the two cookbooks she’s released. Teigen describes cooking as “a time of peace” for herself. So maybe peace out to her tuna melt sandwich or the fried chicken wings that are a favorite of her husband, John Legend.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from a cooking Italian family. Her father started his own restaurant in New York and also published a cookbook. And apparently, Lady Gaga has inherited the family’s cooking genes. Her Instagram account occasionally features photos of her culinary activities. Sure, sometimes it’s topless cooking. But other times it’s more poignant like in the post she shared about her bringing food to the family of her dear friend who passed away. Want to try a Gaga/Germanotta family favorite? Check out her recipe for whole wheat pasta with a sweet fennel sauce.