Black Country internet star meets Tom Cruise at Top Gun: Maverick premiere
Black Country internet sensation Luke Vernon has spoken about meeting Hollywood legend Tom Cruise at the premiere of his newly released movie, Top Gun: Maverick.
Luke, 25, from Halesowen, was invited to the A-list event which attended by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and a host of celebrities.
He said: "I received an invite via my management company, Connect Management, and I was expecting the usual type of evening where I meet guests, walk the red carpet and then watch the movie.
"We were told that Tom Cruise would be attending the premiere, and I whilst I was doing an interview for TikTok, speaking about the film, how exciting it was to be there at the premier, all of a sudden, Tom came over!
"He came over, shook my hand and I was like what is going on?!
"Me being me, the way that I am, I said 'How are you you doing brother, you alright?'
"He is an amazing person, so polite and humble, and he took the time out to speak with myself and my friend."
"We spoke about the film and he told us how the actors had to actually learn how to fly the jets for the movie, and he asked if I was looking forward to seeing the movie."
Luke added: "He looks amazing for his age, in shape and was a genuinely nice guy, going about doing interviews and speaking with everybody.
"It was amazing to be there, for a guy from a working class background from Birmingham, where it was never projected that we end up at these kind of events.
"I owe a lot to my Mom. She encouraged me to pursue my dreams, and no matter what, she would support me in everything that I do."
Luke has over 1.5 million followers on social media, where he creates content for a living. He is also an actor and presenter and has featured on the BBC soap Doctors.
After battling with depression for years following the death of his mother a day after his birthday on April 25, 2015, Luke now is hoping to share with others that no matter how low life can get, we can all turn it around.
He said: "No matter the background of a person, or the circumstances, I want to tell people, to not let it define you or your future.
"We just need to be grateful in life on the little things. Focus on the small things that we have, and appreciate them and it can be a better life for us."
Following the death of his mother, Luke took a sabbatical from acting and social media work but in 2019 he went back into it after feeling the time was right in his life.
He said: "It wasn't until 2019 when I knew that my Mom's headstone was placed, that a friend said to me that I was made to be a content creator, and the day that the headstone was placed, I started making videos again.
"I believe in law of attraction and thankfully, that sacrifice and hard work has paid off.
"I get to go to events. meet amazing people, do collaborations with amazing brands like Disney, Amazon Prime and Burger King.
"I have fantastic belief in myself and I also have great support from my management company. They have opened up so many doors for me, and they believe in my vision as much as me, and continue to push me for better things."
