It doesn’t matter if you’re an aspiring actor or an award-nominated notable; when the right opportunity comes along, you’re going to fight for it. We’ve seen that mentality at work with Scarlett Johansson and her role in Jurassic World Rebirth on the 2025 movie schedule, and that’s part of what makes that film so hotly anticipated. However, after reading Jon Hamm’s playful threat to his agents over him being considered for Top Gun: Maverick, I really hope Tom Cruise’s possible Maverick sequel keeps this madman in mind.
Through an interview with GQ to promote his new series Your Friends & Neighbors, the man who played Vice Admiral Beau "Cyclone" Simpson admits he knew his Top Gun character didn't have a huge role to play going in. But that didn’t stop him from explaining to his reps why he was so adamant on landing the gig:
Well, that was an interesting one, because there’s no mistaking who’s the star of that movie. I saw the original film when I was 14 years old. So I would’ve fucking made coffee on that set. My agents were like, ‘I don’t know—it’s not a very big part. Do you really want to do this?’ And I go, ‘Dude, it’s Top Gun 2. Like, what?’ That movie meant a lot to me personally. I told them, ‘If you guys fuck this deal, you’re all fired.’
I love a good “threaten your agents, but not in a horrific or scarring way” sort of story, and this tale not only qualifies, but I’d pitch that it belongs on the list of Jon Hamm’s funniest movie and TV quotes. After reading the story above, I’m of course reminded of Paul Giamatti’s ‘threats’ over Planet of the Apes, as he really wanted to wear prosthetics and play an ape in his favorite franchise.
Sometimes the opportunities that other actors may find cumbersome or minor turn out to be the ones that people like Jon Hamm would scramble to get. And to the man’s point, Vice Admiral Simpson is a rather effective foil to Tom Cruise’s Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. If 14-year-old Jon could see himself years in the future, dressing down his hero on the big screen, I’d say he’d be thrilled.
Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr. Hamm is still using a Paramount+ subscription to revisit his moments in Top Gun: Maverick, marveling at how a dream became a reality. That pride may make negotiations for another appearance a bit more complicated, because if there’s anything a hardcore fan wants more than to appear in their favorite franchise, it’s probably to become a fixture for future fans to enjoy.
While there’s no clue when/if we should expect Top Gun 3, you can catch Jon Hamm in his freshly renewed series Your Friends & Neighbors. New episodes drop every Friday on Apple TV+, with the first season set to wrap on May 30th. Oh, and in case you didn’t know, you can catch Tom Cruise in his latest arthouse experiment, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, as it opens in early showings tonight.
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