Believe it or not but seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Sir Lewis Hamilton was to play a role of a fighter jet pilot in the blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick but had to turn down the opportunity of a lifetime due to his busy racing schedule. The Brit dropped the bombshell in a recent Vanity Fair interview where he went on to share details on how he was offered the role. It’s a known fact that the 37-year-old racing driver’s interests extend far beyond motorsports. In fact, he has some strong connections in Hollywood as well and is one of the producers of a Formula 1 movie that is to be directed by Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski and will feature none other than Brad Pitt. However, he has been friends with Tom Cruise – a known F1 enthusiast – for several years, which led to the Hollywood heartthrob personally creating a part in Top Gun for Hamilton.
“Basically I’m a friend of Tom,” Hamilton told Vanity Fair. “One of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. He invited me to his set years ago when he was doing Edge of Tomorrow, and then we just built a friendship over time.” Hamilton revealed that he’s a massive fan of the original Top Gun and wanted to become a fighter pilot as a child after watching the movie. While he ended up becoming one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time, Hamilton held his childhood dream close to his heart and didn’t want to miss out on the chance of being a part of the sequel. “So when I heard the second one was coming out, I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I have to ask him,’” the Formula 1 champion told Vanity Fair. “I said, ‘I don’t care what role it is. I’ll even sweep something, be a cleaner in the back.’” Tom Cruise said yes to his request and offered a role as a fighter pilot
Sadly, Hamilton soon realized that filming the movie would coincide with the climax of the Formula 1 season. There was no way he could have done both. “I’m a perfectionist..there just wasn’t time,” he said. It was not easy for Hamilton to contact Cruise and Kosinski and turn down the opportunity and claimed that it was “the most upsetting call that I think I’ve ever had.” After being delayed for over three years, Top Gun: Maverick was released back in May of this year and has already raked in around $1.3 billion at the global box office, making it the highest-grossing movie of 2022. It would have added another feather in Hamilton’s cap had he managed to be a part of the movie.
