Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton revealed this week that he had to turn down the opportunity to act in 'Top Gun: Maverick'.
The 37-year-old driver told Vanity Fair, "when I heard the second ['Top Gun'] was coming out, I was like, 'Oh, my God, I have to ask him'." He told Cruise, "I don’t care what role it is. I’ll even sweep something, be a cleaner in the back."
Cruise, a friend of Hamilton's, agreed not only to cast him in the film, but to give him the role of a fighter pilot. However, filming unfortunately clashed with the climax of the Formula One season for that year and Hamilton had to turn down the opportunity.
The Mercedes driver claimed turning down the role was "the most upsetting call that I think I’ve ever had."
However, luckily for Hamilton, he's extremely wealthy! Meaning his brush with Hollywood is far from over.
The British driver will co-produce an upcoming Formula 1 film with Brad Pitt, who will also star. 'Top Gun: Maverick' director Joseph Kosinski will direct the project.
Hamilton has met with Pitt and arranged for him to tour the Mercedes factories which employ around 2000 people. Hamilton has also been vetting the storytelling for authenticity. He stated he wants "to hear the B.S. that's in the script because the Americans that are writing it are just getting newly accustomed to Formula 1."
Hamilton will surely be hoping his upcoming film comes anywhere near as close as 'Top Gun: Maverick's success. The sequel racked in an incredible $690 million at the global box office, making it the seventh highest-grossing film in U.S. history.
