“Appreciate the assist Lewis Hamilton”: Top Gun Maverick‘s Danny Ramirez thanks F1 star for not accepting a role in Tom Cruise’s superhit movie

Top Gun Maverick film's actor, Danny Ramirez, recently thanked Lewis Hamilton for turning down a role in the film, which resulted in the former getting the job.

Before Top Gun Maverick went into production, its lead actor, Tom Cruise connected Hamilton with director Joseph Kosinski, who offered the seven-time world champion a chance to be in the film as one of the pilots.

In a recent interview with GQ, Hamilton stated how he had to turn down Kosinski and Cruise's offer. He explained that he was not a great actor and did not want to bring the film down.

The Brit added that he could not have dedicated his time to the film, especially since he was fighting for yet another world championship in 2018. The dedication paid off handsomely, as he won the Drivers' World Championship by 88 points over Sebastian Vettel.

“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 show me the movie and it’s: It could’ve been me,” Hamilton said.

When Lewis Hamilton's tale of turning down a role in Top Gun Maverick surfaced on X, the film's cast member, Danny Ramirez, reposted the statement and appreciated the Mercedes driver for not taking the role.

"When Joe Kosinski introduced us and said that Lewis’ role was gonna be Fanboy, I thanked him for saying no haha. Appreciate the assist Lewis Hamilton," wrote Ramirez

Ramirez played Lt. Mickey 'Fanboy' Garcia in the Top Gun Maverick (released May 2022 in the USA), a role that Hamilton could have taken if he had agreed to act.

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Lewis Hamilton's advice for the upcoming Joseph Kosinski-directed F1 film

A few years after Lewis Hamilton turned down a role in Top Gun Maverick, director Joseph Kosinski wanted to create a dedicated film around Formula 1. Since it was about the sport, the 39-year-old automatically became one of the cast members and also became a producer.

In the interview with the aforementioned source, the 7x WDC recalled how he explained two types of F1 fans and urged the director to make the film fitting for both kinds.

“My point was: Guys, this movie needs to be so authentic. There’s two different fan groups that we have—like, the old originals, who from the day they’re born hearing the Grand Prix music every weekend and watching with their families, to the new generation that just learned about it today through Netflix,” Hamilton said.

The upcoming untitled F1 film will have top stars such as Brad Pitt, Tobias Menzies, etc. Back in the 2023 F1 British GP, Pitt and Damson Idris, who will act as the former's teammate, were seen shooting a few on-track scenes.