Jay Ellis Says His Top Gun: Maverick Costars Are All Still 'Texting Nonstop' 3 Years Later

The bonds that Jay Ellis formed on the set of Top Gun: Maverick are still going strong nearly three years after the Oscar-winning movie premiered in theaters.

The 43-year-old Running Point actor played LT Reuben "Payback" Fitch in the movie, which was a sequel to Tom Cruise's 1986 classic. Ellis shared the screen with the Cruise and other Hollywood stars such as Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Danny Ramirez and Monica Barbaro.

During an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, which aired on Thursday, March 20, Ellis acknowledged some of his castmates' recent accomplishments and revealed that they are constantly in touch.

"We're all on text chains together. We're constantly like... Perfect example is Miles had The Gorge come out. Glen is away working on a movie. Monica is nominated for an Oscar. Danny Ramirez just had Captain America come out," he said, adding, "And we're all texting nonstop."

Ellis explained that it's "been really important" to maintain his friendships and added that the Top Gun: Maverick cast also meets up for dinner to stay in touch.

The actor said that growing up his family was in the Air Force, which led to him moving around a lot. As an only child, he developed an imaginary friend named Mikey to keep him company at the time.

"I think as I've gotten older, it's been really important to me to keep friends close and check in on them," he said, noting that he is also close with his castmates from Insecure.

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When asked what it was like to work on Top Gun: Maverick, Ellis jokingly replied that it was "horrible" and "the worst experience ever."

"No I mean it was amazing. Getting to go to work everyday with someone like Tom, who's obviously had such a long career and such a prolific career is inspiring. You're learning. He's a friend, he's a producer, he's the lead of the movie. There's so many things that are happening at one time," he said.

Since his family was in the Air Force, the actor also felt like it was a meaningful movie for them, saying, "It was the first time where I felt like I made my parents proud of my acting career."

Ellis isn't the only Top Gun actor to comment on the cast's bond. Barbaro also revealed that the group chat "just blew up" after she secured her Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role in A Complete Unknown.

“That was really exciting,” she said about, adding that she felt the love. “They're just super supportive and thrilled.”

The actress also commented on the third movie in the Top Gun franchise, which is in the works. "I've heard of it,” she said about the new movie. “I really can't say anything about that, but I would if I could.”

Her castmates “all feel the same way" about the project. "We had such a great time making that movie. We love how much people have adored the film and how just incredibly supportive the fans of it are, and so we'd all feel really stoked to read the next script," Barbaro said.