Several years ago, Jon Hamm was charming fans with his Oscar-winning performance as the dapper Don Draper in the hit AMC series Mad Men. Since then, the St. Louis native has been up to so many things. For starters, he starred in the Oscar-nominated crime drama Baby Driver. At the same time, he also ventured back into television although these days, it’s safe to say, Hamm shifted his focus back to movies once more.
After all, the actor is starring in what could possibly be the biggest film of 2022. In the much-awaited sequel to Tom Cruise’s Top Gun, Hamm plays Beau 'Cyclone' Simpson, the admiral determined to ground Cruise’s Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell. The film is expected to top every other Cruise movie out there. It’s no wonder Hamm was more than happy to join the cast. In fact, some fans are even under the impression that the Emmy winner was willing to do the film for free.
Jon Hamm Still Recalls Being Mesmerized With ‘Top Gun’ At 15
When the first Top Gun movie came out, Hamm was 15 and eager to see it. “I remember seeing the trailer and thinking, ‘Yes. That looks awesome.’ And it was,” the actor remarked. “As an adult, I’ve seen it in the interim a couple times, and you realize that [director] Tony Scott, who came out of commercials, had an incredible sense how to tell a story, visually. That movie just looked so cool. It didn’t make sense, because every shot was at sunset or sunrise. But who cares?”
Upon seeing the movie, Hamm also immediately realized that Cruise was a star in the making. “Tom Cruise was in that sweet spot of being twentysomething [sic] years old. I mean, he was great looking,” the actor explained. “He was an amazing actor. We all saw the writing on the wall as to what he was about to become.”
Hamm also loved the movie so much that he watched it over and over again. “I did multiple viewings,” the actor confessed. “And that also coincided with the golden age of home video, as well. So, the copy of it at the local video store was pretty worn out, too. It was a very big, important movie for kids my age at that time.” And so, one could understand why Hamm reacted the way he did when he learned about the sequel.
Was Jon Ham Really Willing To Do ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ For Free?
Well, not exactly. That said, it seems Hamm signed up to join the film’s cast even though he knew nothing about what he was going to be doing in the film. “I got a call. I remember I was in my car and the phone rang. And I picked it up, hands-free of course. They said, ‘They’re looking at you for this Top Gun sequel,’” the actor recalled. “And I was like, ‘What? Hell yes.’ They said, ‘We haven’t seen a script.’ I said, ‘Tell them yes.’”
At that point, Hamm didn’t even care if he hadn’t seen any contracts yet. In fact, he was reminded, “Well, we don’t know what we’re getting paid.” In response, the actor recalled saying, “I don’t care. Tell them, yes. We’ll work all that s*** out later.”
Having watched Top Gun as a kid, Hamm was overjoyed to be considered for the sequel. And somehow, even at that early stage of development of the film, the actor knew everything was going to work out so long as he said yes.
“I had a meeting with Chris McQuarrie and everybody, and a phone call with Jerry Bruckheimer, and everybody seemed very excited. So, I was very happy to be brought on board and made part of the team,” Hamm said. “And it was kind of a dream come true to be working on that, from the costume fittings, to all the way up through doing the press. There was a pretty legitimate smile on my face.”
The smile also stayed on Hamm’s face as he walked onto the film’s set for the first time and was welcomed by Cruise. “It’s a memory that I’ll never forget. Because I remember walking onto the set for the first day, and I’m in my Navy gear, in my very crisp officer’s uniform, and on an active naval base in San Diego,” the actor said. “And I see Tom Cruise, and I’m just like, ‘Whoa, this is actually happening. This is very, very cool.’ And he came up to me with his million-dollar smile and said, ‘We’re so glad to have you. This is going to be so fun. I can’t wait.'”
And while exact figures regarding the film’s cast salary, it’s safe to say that Hamm absolutely didn’t do Top Gun: Maverick for free. In fact, some reports even estimate that the actor around $1.2 million for his role. Meanwhile, it’s unclear if he will be entitled to any backend bonuses, which is expected to be high.
