“Top Gun: Maverick” was overwhelmingly praised for its ability to bring fresh versions of moments and tropes from the original “Top Gun” into the 21st century. One of the best examples is a scene where Tom Cruise leads his group of pilots in a co-ed game of pickup football on the beach. The scene was an obvious homage to the infamously campy Kenny Loggins-scored volleyball scene from the original film, and quickly became a fan favorite moment.

Speaking to IndieWire on the red carpet of the Critics Choice Awards, “Top Gun: Maverick” director Joseph Kosinski reflected on the experience of shooting the football scene, which he called one of his most memorable days on set.

“One that I get asked about a lot, which was a very memorable day, was when we shot the beach football scene,” Kosinski said. “The actors were in a very kind of stressed out state, they’d all been working so hard to get ready for that scene. They were under the pressure, the weight of the original scene being so iconic. I remember Glen went out 110 percent on the first play and hurt himself, but he was able to recover quickly and we were able to get a great version of it.”