Lewis Hamilton claimed that he had turned down the role in the Hollywood blockbuster and Tom Cruise starter ‘Top Gun: Maverick” as he was in the middle of a title battle against Sebastian Vettel in 2018.

The British driver had an opportunity to fulfill his dream of acting alongside a Hollywood legend and in a movie that he really liked. The Mercedes driver even manifested the role for himself when he first met with the ‘Mission Impossible’ star.

In his recent interview with GQ, Lewis Hamilton spoke about meeting Tom Cruise and his desire to work alongside the American in the iconic Top Gun franchise. He said:

“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.’ ”
The seven-time world champion got his wish but was unable to act in the blockbuster as he fighting for a world championship against Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in 2018 and was too involved. He spoke about his missed chance and lamented:

“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 showed me the movie and it’s: It could’ve been me!” He groans and laughs. “Oh, God, I’m still….”
Lewis Hamilton chimes in on his first meeting with Tom Cruise
Lewis Hamilton recalled that he got the chance to visit Tom Cruise on the set of his 2014 blockbuster ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ also starring Emily Blunt.

As quoted by the aforementioned source, the Mercedes driver latched onto the opportunity and visited the set. He spoke about the meeting and said:

“My assistant called me: ‘Tom Cruise has invited you to the set.’ I was just like: ‘Shoot, yeah?! Cancel anything I have!’ ”
He also added that the 61-year-old stayed in touch and wished him before races, adding:

“‘Me and the team want to wish you good luck with the race’—that sort of thing.”
Tom Cruise has been spotted in the F1 paddock multiple times and has even supported Lewis Hamilton from the Mercedes garage on several occasions such as the British GP in Silverstone in 2020 and 2021.