Alden Richards revealed that Hollywood star Tom Cruise inspired him to pursue aviation studies.
In an interview with PeopleAsia, the actor shared that the film Top Gun: Maverick had a significant impact on him. "[Tom] is the reason why right now I am into aviation school, so I am pursuing my flying training. It's a two-year program," he shared.
Alden went on to say that completing the course would allow him to fly commercial aircraft. "By the time I graduate, I can already fly commercial aircrafts and be a pilot of commercial airlines," he said.
Looking ahead, Alden also expressed a deeper aspiration beyond commercial flying. "I want to be a reservist pilot for the Philippine Airforce... to fly jets."
It was in April when Alden announced that he enrolled in an aviation school in Clark, Pampanga. "Reaching new heights, one flight at a time✈️," he wrote in an Instagram post.
In his post, Alden is seen posing beside a "Ready for Training" sign and inside a flight simulator, giving fans a glimpse of his latest endeavor.
Earlier in May, Alden was invited to the premiere of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning in Seoul where he met Tom.
"We were actually surprised that we would be having the chance to meet him and the instructions were you can only ask two questions from Tom. Hinuli po ako sa pila," he recalled in the same interview with PeopleAsia.
Instead of asking questions, Alden chose to deliver a heartfelt message.
"I told myself I am not going to ask any questions to [Tom], I'm just gonna tell him my story in one minute and 30 seconds. I wanted it to be brief, I wanted it to be short because I didn't want to waste his time," he said.
Alden shared what he told the Hollywood star: "I told him, 'Hi Tom, my name is Alden Richards. I'm an actor from the Philippines and you have inspired me a lot with your work.' Because of you, 'yun sinabi ko 'yung about not having stunt doubles and sabi ko, 'I've seen all of of your films: from Mission films, to Jack Reacher, to Top Gun, to Top Gun: Maverick.' He was just saying wow, wow, over and over again."
He also expressed his gratitude to the actor: "I told him na, 'Thank you for your work. Thank you for the inspiration you've given a lot of people, most especially me.' And then [I said], 'I hope I can work with you soon,' and then that's when he hugged me."