Monica Barbaro Says HerTop GunGroup Chat 'Blew Up' After Her Oscar Nomination — and Weighs in on Third Movie (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

A Complete Unknownstar Monica Barbaro is feeling the love from former costars.

Fresh off a firstOscarnomination for her supporting performance as Joan Baez in theBob Dylanbiopic, the actress, 34 — who appears in PEOPLE’s 2025 Oscar Portfolio, now on stands — says that herTop Gun: Maverickfamily texted tons of support. After the Jan. 23 announcement, she recalls, “Our group chat just blew up.”

Barbaro played Navy pilot LT Natasha “Phoenix” Trace in the 2022Tom Cruise-starringTop Gunsequel from director Joseph Kosinski, alongsideMiles Teller,Jennifer Connelly,Jon Hamm,Glen Powell, Ed Harris,Val Kilmerand more.

“That was really exciting,” she says of her costars’ reaction to her success. “They’re just super supportive and thrilled.”

Monica Barbaro in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’.PARAMOUNT PICTURES/SKYDANCE/JERRY BRUCKHEIMER FILMS

PARAMOUNT PICTURES/SKYDANCE/JERRY BRUCKHEIMER FILMS

Has Barbaro heard about the development ofTop Gun 3? “I’ve heard of it,” she admits. “I really can’t say anything about that, but I would if I could.”

TheTop Gun: Maverickteam, she adds, “all feel the same way. 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.”

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Monica Barbaro on Feb. 7.Obidigbo Nzeribe

Obidigbo Nzeribe

Rumors have circulated about a potential third film sinceMaverickbecame an international hit. In March 2024, film producerJerry Bruckheimerexclusively told PEOPLE “we’re working on"Top Gun 3.

Teller, in a Feb. 4 interview with Stephen Colbert,addressed the sequel’s possibility, saying, “I don’t know. There’s a lot of enthusiasm on the fans' side. There’s a lot of enthusiasm on the creative side.”

Barbaro says the whirlwind success ofMaverickhas prepared her for a first go-round with awards season. “I do feel very fortunate that I’ve experienced it a little bit as a fly on the wall,” she says. “I got to not really have cameras on me so much, but I got to see what it’s all about, and I’ve been to some of these events before. So now that the pressure’s on, at least I’ve been in those rooms before and seen how it goes.”

For her work inA Complete Unknown, Barbaro is also nominated twice at theScreen Actors Guild Awards, to be held Feb. 23. “The probability of even getting to [act] for a living is just really low, and so I constantly just try to remind myself of that,” says theFUBARstar. “I haven’t wrapped my head around it.”

A Complete Unknown, starring Barbaro’s fellow Oscar nomineesTimothée Chalametas Dylan andEdward Nortonas Pete Seeger, is in theaters now.

source: people.com