F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton recently revealed that he regrets passing on an opportunity to appear in Top Gun: Maverick after initially enthusiastically pursuing a role in the film.In an interview with GQ, Hamilton revealed his regret for turning down a role in the 2022 blockbuster film alongside Tom Cruise.
F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton & Hollywood Icon Tom Cruise mutual admirers cum buddies
In a recent interview with GQ magazine, Lewis Hamilton spoke about becoming friends with Tom Cruise when the action star invited him to the set of his 2014 film Edge of Tomorrow. The pair continued to stay in touch with Tom congratulating him on his races in advance and Lewis returning the favour for his films.
This led to Tom extending him a chance to work with him in a hypothetical Top Gun sequel. This was years before Top Gun: Maverick actually came to fruition. Lewis recalled, “I said, ‘Dude, if you ever do Top Gun 2, I will even be a janitor,’” The racer added, “’Just let me be in it.’”Cruise, who remembered Hamilton during the casting stage, offered him a role as a pilot.
Once the sequel started pre-production, Lewis Hamilton revealed that the actor remembered his request and put him in touch with director Joseph Kosinski, who ended up offering the racer a role as one of the film’s pilots.
Lewis Hamilton, however, passed up on the offer. He was busy at the time with his packed schedule, including the 2018 title race, and was also worried about a lack of acting experience. But he later regretted his decision once he saw the 2022 action film starring Tom Cruise, Miles Teller and Glen Powell.
Hamilton expressed his remorse upon seeing the finished film, admitting, “And then I regretted it, naturally, when they show me the movie and it’s: It could’ve been me!”
Though the Top Gun sequel didn’t end up being the F1 star’s door into Hollywood, another opportunity to work with Kosinski came shortly after. Hamilton signed on to produce the director’s upcoming Formula 1 movie starring Brad Pitt to help make sure the film includes an accurate representation of the international racing league.
Hamilton explained he didn’t want to let the movie down since he hadn’t taken any acting lessons. He also didn’t have time to properly dedicate to the role. Hamilton said he regretfully had to tell Cruise and Kosinski he couldn’t do the film. He stated, “My point was: Guys, this movie needs to be so authentic. There’s two different fan groups that we have — like, the old originals, who from the day they’re born hearing the Grand Prix music every weekend and watching with their families, to the new generation that just learned about it today through Netflix.”
Hamilton further explained. “I felt my job really has been to try to call BS. ‘This would never happen. This is how it would be. This is how it could happen.’ Just giving them advice about what racing is really about and what, as a racing fan, would appeal and what would not.”