Val Kilmer Gets Candid About His Career
Since releasing his memoir, “Top Gun” actor Val Kilmer has become more and more open about his decades in the spotlight. Just recently, Kilmer shared a candid assessment of his decades-long career.
According to Fox News, Kilmer recalled a story about his time filming “Top Gun” with Tom Cruise in his memoir, “I’m Your Huckleberry.” In it, Kilmer said that he and other members of the cast spent more time enjoying off-set compared to Cruise, who he describes as being “laser-focused” on the project.
He recalls a time when he and his coworkers went out for a drive in San Diego and found themselves at an intersection with all lights on red. Taking advantage of the situation, Kilmer said he peeled past the lights only to find their car right beside a police vehicle. Thanks to the fact that he was sober, Kilmer was able to reason with the officer and get out of the situation with just a slap on the wrist.
More than three decades after the first film, Kilmer is back along with Cruise for the sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick.” Getting back the role was something that Kilmer actively campaigned for, even going on Instagram wearing a shirt featuring an illustration of his character, Tom “Iceman” Kazansky. The return to the role was a “moving” moment, according to Kilmer, especially when Cruise walked in wearing the same jacket his character wore in the first movie.
Kilmer also talked about one of his biggest roles back in the day. He played Batman in the commercially successful “Batman Forever,” even if it received a mixed reaction from critics. According to a feature on him in the New York Times, Kilmer had no problem leaving that role.
According to Kilmer, fans were much more interested in the gadgets that surrounded Batman than they were about his performance. Kilmer even recalled an incident with the grandchildren of Warren Buffet. He had stayed in costume as a treat for the kids, but they were much more interested in wearing the costume itself or taking a ride in the Batmobile. Kilmer says that the movies are not about Batman and that “there is no Batman.”
Kilmer’s return to the spotlight comes after he opened up about his bout with throat cancer. He also talked about his relationships with Cher, Michelle Pfeifer, and Cindy Crawford.
Throughout his career, Kilmer has played a number of memorable roles. Aside from playing “Iceman” in “Top Gun,” he also played the lead role in the comedy films “Top Secret!” and “Real Genius.” He was also the lead in Oliver Stone’s “The Doors,” where he played Jim Morrison. That performance received raves from critics. Kilmer was also in “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” where he starred alongside Robert Downey Jr.