Lewis Hamilton Turned down a Role in Top Gun: Maverick

In an interview with GQ, Lewis Hamilton let slip that he was once offered a role in Top Gun: Maverick, which he ultimately turned down.

Hamilton revealed he grew up loving movies, so in 2014, when Tom Cruise reached out to invite him to the set of Edge of Tomorrow, Hamilton told his assistant to clear his schedule.

Following that visit, the two struck up a friendship and one night, at dinner, Hamilton jokingly told Cruise that if ever there were to be a Top Gun 2, he "will even be a janitor—just let [him] be in it."

Top Gun: Maverick didn't happen until years later, but Cruise kept note of Hamilton's wishes and put the film's director, Joseph Kosinski, in touch with him.

GQ revealed that Hamilton was offered a role as one of the pilots in the film, but Hamilton had to turn the opportunity down.

Hamilton said, "I hadn't even had, like, an acting lesson" and said he didn't "want to be the one that [let the] movie down."

He also said, "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."

The driver said he regretted the decision after seeing the film and joked, "It could've been me!".

However, it did lead to another opportunity for Hamilton. He has now teamed up with Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski on a new project: a secret Untitled Formula One Racing Movie.

The film will star Brad Pitt, Tobias Menzies, Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, Damson Idris, Sarah Niles, Will Merrick and Hamilton himself in a story about a Formula One driver who comes out of retirement to mentor and team with a younger driver.