Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he regrets turning down the role of a lifetime in Top Gun: Maverick.
The Formula One star was offered a role as a pilot in the 2022 sequel to the 1986 classic, which featured Tom Cruise alongside a host of other A-listers.
It went on to be hugely successful among both critics and cinema-goers, grossing $1.496 billion (£1.190 billion) worldwide and becoming the second biggest film of 2022 behind only Avatar: The Way Of Water.
It also picked up six Oscar nominations, including in the prestigious Best Picture category.
However, the racing star was forced to turn down the invite because shooting would have clashed with his F1 season, where he was vying for the championship title over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.
“Firstly, I hadn’t even had, like, an acting lesson,” Lewis recalled in a new interview with GQ. “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.”
He added that it “broke my heart” when he had to break the news to Tom Cruise and director Joseph Kosinski. “And then I regretted it, naturally, when they show me the movie and it’s… it could’ve been me!”
The Mission: Impossible star first connected with the F1 sensation when he reached out unexpectedly to invite Lewis to the set of his 2014 film Edge of Tomorrow.
But Lewis first announced his interest in a Top Gun sequel during dinner one evening when he showed Tom his watch, which had the Top Gun logo on the back.
“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’,” he recalled.
The F1 driver did go on to win the 2018 World Championship, so his sacrifice wasn’t for nothing.
Meanwhile, Lewis is currently producing a major Hollywood film starring Brad Pitt, alongside the Top Gun: Maverick team.
“I felt my job really has been to try to call BS. ‘This would never happen.’ ‘This is how it would be.’ ‘This is how it could happen,’” he told GQ. “Just giving them advice about what racing is really about and what, as a racing fan, would appeal and what would not.”