Exclusive Interview: Jack Schumacher Talks Top Gun: Maverick, Lessons Learned on the Set, and More

Jack Schumacher is one of the breakout stars of 2022. This year, he’s taken audiences on a ride as Lt. Neil ‘Omaha’ Vikander in a little film you may have heard of called Top Gun: Maverick. Yes, Top Gun!

After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. Jack shines as Ohama, a naval aviator who has dedicated his life to the job.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Jack about his career, Top Gun: Maverick, and more!

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting and storytelling?
Jack: From a young age, I was obsessed with movies. It was a pretty common thing that my parents would have to replace all of our VHSes because I would wear them out regularly. I would watch a movie, and I’d immediately rewind it and start it again. Film has always been an escape for me. It was what I was most interested in, but I never pursued it for whatever reason. I was always interested in acting; I always daydreamed about it, but it never seemed like the realm of possibility. I didn’t really know anyone who was doing it, and I never voiced any interest to anyone out of fear.

During my freshmen year of college, I was taking all of my classes and trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I felt like none of it felt right. I couldn’t imagine doing any of these jobs or careers. I couldn’t imagine working in an office. I had to do something creative, so I took beginner acting, which was mostly like a blow-off elective for seniors. I was the only freshman in the class. Immediately, I was like, “Oh, this is it. This is what I’m supposed to do.” From there, I immediately went over to Second City and started taking classes there. Then it became my only focus, and it became my career. It’s been exciting.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Jack: Personally, my mother. She has, without a doubt, been the one who has championed me through all of this. From the very start when I told her, she was like, “Yep. That sounds right. That’s what you’re going to do.”

Whenever someone asks me about getting into acting, I’m always like, “Proceed with caution.” If there’s anything else that you can do or imagine yourself doing, do that because it’s brutal. It’s a brutal road. Even when you get success, it’s still a brutal grind. My mom was the one who never let me give up in moments when I wanted to quit. That was huge.

Also, my wife is an actress. I learned a lot from her by working together with her on stuff. That’s been a lot of fun and inspiring. Then, I’ve got an incredible manager. He took me on when I had no credits. I would be lost without him. Everything that he has told me has been right, even when I’ve doubted him and done the wrong things. I always have to go back and eat some crow and be like, “You were right.” [laughs]

In terms of actors that I look up to, the list is so long. Every time I answer this question, I think about it later and I’m like, “Oh my God. I can’t believe I didn’t mention that person or that person.” I mean, Brad Pitt is my number one favorite actor to watch. From a young age, I was like, “Dude. He’s the coolest guy ever.” You watch Fight Club when you were twelve and is there anyone cooler than Tyler Durden, even though he’s a murderous psycho?! Tom Hardy, Ryan Reynolds, Daniel Day Lewis…I could go on and on.

But I mean, yeah, there are so many inspiring people, especially in my personal life. I’m very lucky to be surrounded by a lot of really encouraging and amazing people in my life.

PC: You’ve been really open about the highs and lows of this industry. During those more challenging times, how were you able to persevere?
Jack: It’s tough, but you have to have no backup plan. It’s definitely tough, especially when COVID happened. After Top Gun, nothing was getting made. I was like, “Man, I want security. I want to be able to afford a house. I want to be able to have these things in my life. I want a yard. I want to be able to have some stability.” But it always comes down to, I know that I would never be satisfied doing anything else. I know this is my calling.

When you have enough faith in that, it allows you the freedom to let go and be like, “All right, we’re on the ride. Like we decided this a long time ago, we’re locked in. We’re not getting off this ride.” I’ve been told by several successful actors that the people who don’t make it are the ones who quit. That’s something that rings true. It might not happen according to your timeline, almost guaranteed that it won’t, but you have to keep going. Something will happen.

PC: You’re one of the stars of Top Gun: Maverick. This has been a four-year process for you. What has it meant to you to have this film finally come out?
Jack: I was talking to some of the other guys at the premiere, and it feels like a graduation. It’s like four years of high school or college, then finally you get to walk down and get your diploma…in this case, it was walking down the red carpet. It’s incredibly satisfying to see it received the way that it’s been received.

I had seen a cut about two years ago, and I kept telling people, “It’s better than the original!” Then, I started to get nervous because I was talking about it on a podcast, and I started to wonder if I didn’t remember it correctly. [laughs] What if it was really bad? But then I saw the reviews start to pour in, and I was like, “Thank God. I was right. It is good.”

It’s a special film. There’s an outpour of joy and nostalgia in this film. I feel incredibly blessed to have gotten to be a part of this. There are so many people who would have killed to be in my position. I know I hit the jackpot getting to have my name be in those credits.

PC: As part of your preparation for this film, you got to actually meet pilots. How influential was that as you stepped into your character’s shoes? Did that bring an added sense of pressure?
Jack: Getting to meet the pilots was wild. I mean, just spending time on the base around these kids changes your perspective. It’s such a crazy, crazy job because the stakes are so high. Every time you take off, it’s life or death. You’re flying faster than the speed of sound, and to do that you have to have this level of capacity for adrenaline. These guys have that. Then, you add in their brilliance—they don’t let dumb guys fly these jets. To see the balance, excitement, and everything that goes into it was inspiring.

I have so much respect for that and the sacrifices that the men and women of the armed forces make to serve our country. It’s incredibly humbling. We were on an aircraft carrier for a bit. I was blown away by what it would take to do that. It was a really humbling experience to get to witness that firsthand.

In terms of building up the character, I had a pretty good idea based on what I did in my audition. Then, I got to meet the pilots, who had more of cool, quiet confidence. You’ve got Glen Powell who’s the cocky hot head. Miles Teller has his own demons that he’s working through. But yeah, getting to meet these pilots was a big, big help in reframing what these guys actually go through as opposed to just watching the original Top Gun.

PC: This is your first feature film. Did anything surprise you about the overall experience? What was the biggest takeaway?
Jack: Everything surprised me about this project. From the first day, I was constantly turning to the other actors and being like, “Is this normal?” The answer was always like, “No, absolutely not.” This is not how things go. That’s been true about the entire experience all the way through the red carpet. That was my first red carpet, and I was like, “Is this how they normally go?” Everyone said, “God, no. This is the biggest red carpet that you’ll probably ever see.” It was wild from start to finish. But in terms of takeaways from it, getting to see Tom in action is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

Another thing that I took away from this is not to be afraid to voice what you’re thinking, obviously within reason. When you’re not the lead, don’t be like, “Hey, I have a cool idea for a line.” Watching the other actors who had more experience and their curiosity and excitement for it, it was infectious on set. They were asking questions. You want to be around that. That’s been my approach since Top Gun. Before then, I would hang back a bit more and wait for a note and try to not rock the boat at all. Now, I’ve become a more vocal and confident version of myself. It’s all in the spirit of elevating the text to the highest level possible.

PC: What’s next for you?
Jack: I’ve got two things that should be coming out later this year. One is going to be about the story behind the Chippendales, which should be a lot of fun. That will be on Hulu. I also did a fun horror movie called Kill Her. That’ll be coming out in the fall.

PC: You were saying earlier that your purpose as an artist is to always be in service of the story. As you look ahead to the next five to ten years, is there a dream role or story that you would love to bring to life on the screen?
Jack: As I’ve begun writing, it’s been heavily influenced by my sobriety and my experiences with addiction. I would love to be a part of something having to do with recovery or addiction. So often when you watch something like that, it’s ultra depressing, and then there might be a slight message of hope. But you’re like, “Do I want to watch this? It’s bumming me out.” It’s difficult to tackle that subject while having some level of levity, laughter, and joy to it, which has been my experience in sobriety.

A lot of the guys at the meetings that I go to, they tell me all the time, “If you’re not laughing and if you’re not having fun, what’s the point?” Whenever I hear that, I’m like, “You’re right. What is the point of doing this, staying sober, and working on myself if I’m not going to enjoy life?” I think it’ll be a dream role to capture that on screen and be a part of that. I feel like that would have a big impact on a lot of people.

To keep up with Jack, follow him on Instagram.

Photo Credit: Brad Everett Young