Lewis Hamilton turned down part in 'Top Gun: Maverick'

Sam Moore
·2-min read
Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team with the actor Tom Cruise during the race of the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone on July 3, 2022 in Northampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Lewis Hamilton and Tom Cruise. (NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Lewis Hamilton has revealed he turned down a role in Top Gun: Maverick due to his F1 schedule.

The seven time world champion racing driver said to Vanity Fair that he would have loved to be involved as he's a fan of the 1986 original.

Hamilton also revealed that he and Tom Cruise are friends: "Basically I'm a friend of Tom [Cruise]. 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."

Read more: 'Top Gun: Maverick': Miles Teller 'having conversations' about sequel with Tom Cruise

He said that it was him that was chasing a role in the hit blockbuster: "When I heard the second one was coming out, I was like, 'Oh, my God, I have to ask him'.

"I said 'I don't care what role it is. I'll even sweep something, be a cleaner in the back'."

Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete
Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick. (Paramount Pictures)

Cruise later offered Hamilton a role as a fighter pilot but he turned it down due to scheduling conflicts with his F1 commitments.

Hamilton said: "I'm a perfectionist. There just wasn't time."

The racing driver's Hollywood days aren't over though as he is involved in the making of a Formula 1 film which will star Brad Pitt. Hamilton is producing the film but there are reports he will have a small on-screen role in the project.

Tom Cruise with Nicolas Hamilton, brother of Lewis Hamilton portrait during the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone circuit from 31st of June to 3rd of July, 2022 in Northampton, England. (Photo by Gongora/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Tom Cruise and Lewis Hamilton. (NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The untitled film will also be directed by Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski.

Top Gun: Maverick has proved to be a huge hit and is the highest grossing movie of 2022 so far. It is also the highest grossing film of Cruise's lengthy career.

Top Gun: Maverick has also received critical acclaim, especially for its action sequences.

The film was recently praised by Quentin Tarantino on a podcast: "I f****** love Top Gun: Maverick. I thought it was fantastic. I saw it at the theaters.

"That and [Steven] Spielberg's West Side Story both provided a true cinematic spectacle, the kind that I'd almost thought that I wasn't going to see anymore."

Watch below: Quentin Tarantino thought Top Gun: Maverick 'was fantastic'

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