Tom Cruise is undoubtedly one of the biggest superstars in the film industry and working alongside him on a project can do wonders for actors. Just last year, the actor killed it at the box office with Top Gun: Maverick. The movie was one of the biggest hits of the year and became a fan favorite in no time, earning over a billion dollars at the box office. Tom Cruise is all set to break the box office yet again with the upcoming installment to the Mission: Impossible franchise.
There is one actor who could have shared all of this success with Tom Cruise, but the stars did not align for him. We are talking about none other than Nicholas Hoult. The actor who played the role of Beast in the X-Men franchise opened up about getting rejected from Top Gun: Maverick and how he then had to turn down Tom Cruise when the superstar himself offered him a role in the Mission: Impossible franchise.
Nicholas Hoult Turned Down Tom Cruise’s Offer
Talking to The Guardian, Nicholas Hoult recalled three major disappointments of his career, all three of which could have been a huge step in the right direction for the actor. These opportunities included being a part of The Batman, Mission: Impossible, and Top Gun: Maverick.
Hoult had screen-tested for a part in Top Gun: Maverick, but unfortunately was denied the role. And since we have all seen just how well the film was received, it must have been a huge blow to the actor. However, lead actor Tom Cruise had another offer for Hoult – Mission: Impossible. Cruise took it upon himself to call Hoult and persuade him to become a part of the action franchise. While he initially was on board, he had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts as he was already busy with The Great. Hoult stated,
“I screen-tested for Batman and didn’t get it. Screen-tested for Top Gun, didn’t get it. Then I got the call from Tom Cruise: ‘Hey, how about Mission: Impossible?’ Okay. Got it. Then I had to drop out because I was already attached to do some more of The Great.”
Sometimes, things just don’t work out how you hope they would! The HHoult-shaped gap was later filled with Esai Morales, who will be playing the role of Gabriel in the upcoming, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
Nicholas Hoult Is Happy With His Career
While it may seem to some that Hoult was complaining in the interview with The Guardian, he set the record straight in another interview, this time with GQ Espanol. When asked if there was a role he liked but didn’t get, Hoult stated,
“It’s complicated, because I talked about this the other day in an interview but in a context where they told me, ‘It seems that nothing disappoints you, that everything seems good to you.’ And I said no, of course I get disappointed sometimes…Obviously there are 3 films in which I would have liked to participate and it did not work out. So there are disappointments, but those disappointments lead to other things and other different opportunities. And I’m happy. It’s not like I was complaining in that interview.”
Hoult added that he is happy with his work and will continue to do so and is grateful to have worked with the people he did in his career. Missing out on those three movies was just a bit disappointing for the actor, but that doesn’t mean he is going to sit around and dwell on it. Hoult was recently seen in Renfield.
Top Gun: Maverick is streaming on Prime Video.
Source: The Guardian
