Lewis Hamilton has revealed he was forced to turn down a dream role alongside Tom Cruise in the film Top Gun: Maverick due to his demanding F1 schedule.
The Mercedes man has never hidden his love of the original Top Gun film, claiming to have been obsessed with watching it as a child. He even claimed the 1986 classic made him desperate to become a fighter pilot, before a career driving different kinds of vehicles at high-speed took over.
The 37-year-old has enjoyed cameo acting roles, appearing in Zoolander 2. He was also given a 'voice' part in Cars 2 and Cars 3, but has now explained why the role he truly longed for passed him by.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Hamilton admitted that he pleaded with good friend Cruise to let him have a role in the Top Gun sequel, which was released some 32 years later after the first version. "Basically I'm a friend of Tom," Hamilton said.
"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."
And the seven-time F1 champion admitted he was onto Cruise as soon as he heard about Top Gun: Maverick: "So when I heard the second one was coming out, I was like, 'Oh, my God, I have to ask him,'" he continued.
"I said, 'I don't care what role it is. I'll even sweep something, be a cleaner in the back'." As it happened, the part he was offered far exceeded that of an extra.
Hamilton, 37, says Cruise offered him a chance to be a fighter pilot. However, it then dawned that filming would be taking place during the latter stages of the dramatic 2021 F1 campaign, with Hamilton vying for the title with Max Verstappen.
Describing himself as a 'perfectionist', the British icon declined the offer, fearing disruption to his race preparation. He said rejecting the offer from Cruise and director Joseph Kosinski represented the "most upsetting call I have ever had."
And whilst the F1 star arguably isn't short of lucrative pay days, missing out on the film undeniably prevented him from boosting his net worth. According to the Daily Mail , Top Gun: Maverick has thus far boasted £548 billion in ticket sales.
That makes it the seventh biggest box office film of all time, with sales still rising by the week. And unfortunately for Hamilton, the likelihood of a third version being made anytime soon appears remote.
Ironically, the turbulence encountered from driving a fighter plane may have stood him in good stead for this F1 season, having been plagued by the issue of porpoising. However, he has recovered from a nightmare start to record five consecutive podium finishes.
