Hollywood is a strange place, where typical rules of culture can be ignored for the sake of show business. The industry is known for having some toxicity, including the unrealistic way that actors' appearances are judged. For example, Top Gun: Maverick’s Monica Barbaro recalled some wild comments about her looks, including some "crazy" advice she got along the way.
The Top Gun: Maverick cast's starpower all grew thanks to the movie's wild success in theaters and streaming with a Paramount+ subscription. That includes Monica Barbara, who played pilot LT Natasha "Phoenix" Trace. While speaking on a panel for Entertainment Weekly, she reminisced about the toxic way her looks have been criticized especially one particularly wild story. As she put it:
There's definitely a lot of that. There's just a lot of opinions and you just kind of have to filter through what works for you and not. I remembered this the other day, the weirdest advice I ever got was the very first commercial thing I ever shot. There was a woman doing my makeup, and she told me I had really long eyelashes, and I should probably trim them. I didn't take it like that. I mean, I was just like, 'Oh, okay.’
Well, that's a bold way of talking to someone. Eyelashes aren't something that grow back easily, so the idea that one would trim their natural ones for being "too long" is truly wild. And it sounds like that bit of advice actually happened rather recently.
While fans are wondering if Top Gun: Maverick's sequel will happen, that type of a project will likely result in even more wild encounters for Monica Barbaro. Later in the same round table, she spoke about her reaction to getting the bananas advice about her eyelashes, offering:
And then in my mind I was like, 'I'm not going to do that.' And sometimes I just think it's like when you hear advice that you're just not sure of and you're like, I don't know, just trust that instinct. You could be told to do crazy shit like cut all your eyelashes off.
Trying to succeed in the world of TV and film is definitely tricky. There are alot of voices telling actors what they should look like, as well as what types of projects they should participate in. Luckily Barbaro has a strong sense of self, and didn't let comments about her appearances (and the request to trim her lashes) affect her too much.
Unfortunately, Barbaro is hardly the only well-known actress who has dealt with comments about her appearance. Sydney Sweeney has been open about all the chatter surrounding her body, while Florence Pugh has been body shamed online. Hopefully no one convinces Barbaro and company to trim their eyelashes.
Only time will tell if Top Gun: Maverick gets a sequel. For now, check the 2025 movie release dates.
