London, Aug 9 (BUS) – Lewis Hamilton said he had to turn down an offer to appear as a fighter pilot in the popular Tom Cruise movie “Top Gun: Maverick” due to his Formula 1 commitments.
Reuters reports that the seven-time world champion told Vanity Fair he was desperate for his part.
“I’m basically a friend of Tom Cruise,” said the 37-year-old Mercedes driver. “He invited me to his group years ago when he was doing ‘Edge of Tomorrow,’ and then we built a friendship over time.”
Hamilton said he was a big fan of the original 1986 movie “Top Gun.”
“When I heard the second coming out, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I have to ask him. I said, ‘I don’t care what role he plays. I’d even sweep something up, and be cleaner in the back,” he recalls.
Offered a part as a pilot, Hamilton said he had to turn it down on “the most annoying call I think I’ve ever received”.
The Briton also spoke of the shock of losing the title last year to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the final round of the final race in Abu Dhabi, after a controversy over the safety car.
It happened when “his worst fears came alive,” Hamilton said.
“I was like, there’s no way they could trick me out of this. There’s no way. This won’t happen. Absolutely not,” he explained.
“I remember I just sat there in disbelief. Realizing I have to untie my belts, I have to get out of there, I have to climb out of this thing, and I have to find the strength,” he said of his feeling after the race.
“I had no strength. It was one of the hardest moments I’ve had in a very long time.”
The Briton also clarified a comment he made this season in a row about wearing jewelry during the races, when he told reporters he had a hole in his body in a place he couldn’t explain.
“I don’t have any other holes anywhere,” he said.
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