Lewis Hamilton discusses rejecting role in ‘Top Gun: Maverick: “It broke my heart”
Lewis Hamilton, the legendary Formula 1 racing driver, has said it “broke my heart” to reject the chance to act in Top Gun: Maverick.
Hamilton’s only acting experiences to date are cameo appearances in Zoolander 2, Cars 2, and Cars 3, where he plays a version of himself. Nevertheless, the athlete was given an opportunity by Tom Cruise to appear as a fighter pilot in Top Gun: Maverick, but due to commitments with Formula 1, Hamilton was unable to make the schedule conflict work.
Understandably, it was frustrating for Hamilton to pass up an opportunity to appear in a film of such seismic magnitude, and now, he’s admitted the rejection is a regret.
Cruise first met Hamilton on the set of Edge of Tomorrow, and the two grew close. Therefore, when the racing driver heard news of a Top Gun sequel, he contacted Cruise to see whether it would be possible for him to have a small role in the movie. Much to his surprise, the Hollywood A-lister found a way to work him into the film, only for his day job to make it impossible.
Now, in a new interview with GQ, Hamilton recalled the first conversation he had with Cruise about a potential role, “I said, ‘Dude, if you ever do Top Gun 2…’ – which had not been spoken of, there was no story yet – ‘I will even be a janitor – just let me be in it.’”
However, when Cruise stayed true to his word, Hamilton was in the midst of a race for the Formula 1 Championship in 2018, and fighting against Sebastian Vettel for the top prize. As filming would have taken two weeks, his priorities needed to lie with his racing career.
Hamilton explained: “Firstly, I hadn’t even had, like, an acting lesson. And I don’t want to be the one that lets this movie down. And then secondly, I just really didn’t have the time to dedicate to it. I remember having to tell Joe and Tom – and it broke my heart. And then I regretted it, naturally, when they show me the movie and it’s, It could’ve been me!”
Despite missing out on the chance to play a part in a box-office phenomenon, Hamilton has teamed up with Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski for a new untitled project, starring Brad Pitt as a Formula 1 driver.
Hamilton said of his producer role on the movie: “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.”
As of yet, information remains limited about the upcoming sports movie, however, filming took place at the Silverstone Grand Prix in 2023, and it also stars Damson Idris.
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