When Val Kilmer met Tom Cruise

The star will forever be remembered for his portrayal of daredevil US military pilot Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, opposite Tom Cruise as arch rival Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, in the 1986 blockbuster film.

Kilmer battled throat cancer since 2015, limiting his ability to speak, but he overcame the challenges to reprise his role as Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick in 2022. The film featured a genuinely emotional scene between Cruise and Kilmer, whose Iceman character had terminal cancer and was meeting Maverick for the final time.

Friends for more than 35 years, Cruise and Kilmer received excellent reviews for their performance, which carried great emotional weight, as Iceman had to communicate mainly by text. Kilmer later wrote a heartfelt message to Cruise on his Instagram account, “Thirty-six years later… I’m still your wingman.”

Val Kilmer early life

Born in December 1959 in Los Angeles, Kilmer attended the drama division of the performing arts academy, Juilliard School, in New York City. One of his earliest roles was appearing alongside Kevin Bacon and Sean Penn in the off-Broadway trilogy of plays, The Slab Boys.

He turned down a part in the 1983 hit film, The Outsiders, due to theatre commitments  but his big screen break came in 1984, when he won the lead in rock and roll star Nick Rivers in the spoof spy film Top Secret. This was followed by a starring role in the 1985 sci-fi comedy, Real Genius, as National Physics Club legend Chris Knight.

Val Kilmer Top Gun

In 1986, Kilmer was cast as Lieutenant Kazansky, alongside Cruise’s Lieutenant Mitchell, as US Navy Aviator pilots attending the prestigious Naval Fighter Weapons School at Naval Air Station Miramar. In one of the entertainment world’s most famous meetings, the two young Hollywood stars Kilmer, 27, and Cruise, 24, hit it off immediately.

At the time, the press often suggested the rivalry between their Top Gun characters spilled over into real life, hinting that there was animosity between them. However, both stars later denied the rumours, with Kilmer saying much of it had been a ruse. “It was fun to play up the conflict between our characters, but in reality, I’ve always thought of Tom as a friend and we’ve always supported each other,” he explained.

While they enjoyed working together on set and often had their light hearted moments, both men were professional in every way and brought their characters to life. In a documentary years later, Kilmer said there was “very little” to the Iceman character originally, so he “made him more real” by inventing his backstory, dreaming up a cold father who drove him to be “perfect in every way” as a young man. “His obsession with perfection made him arrogant,” Kilmer added.

Top Gun: Maverick

After filming ended, Kilmer and Cruise remained close friends until the end. When they reunited on screen for Top Gun: Maverick, Cruise described it as a “deeply emotional experience” during an interview with Jimmy Kimmel. “I was crying, I got emotional,” he admitted, hailing Kilmer as a “powerful actor” who “instantly became that character again”.

Director Joseph Kosinski spoke of how both Kilmer and Cruise “had tears in their eyes” during the filming of Iceman’s farewell. Despite the sadness of the situation due to Kilmer’s battle with throat cancer, he and Cruise had “giggled like little kids in school between takes”, describing his co-star as a “real friend”.

Cruise had continually expressed admiration for Kilmer’s work over the years. The image of Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise in their most iconic roles saying goodbye is one that will never be forgotten. Following their reunion on screen, Cruise said, “It was special to have him back. It meant a lot to me.”

Val Kilmer Batman Forever

One of Kilmer’s most iconic characters was in the title role of Batman Forever in 1995, when the caped crusader was tasked with trying to save Gotham City from evil villain Two Face, played by Tommy Lee Jones. Starring alongside Nicole Kidman as psychologist Dr Chase Meridian, love interest of Batman’s alter ego Bruce Wayne, Kilmer was widely praised by critics and fans for his dark portrayal of the super hero. The film remains a fans’ favourite to this day.

The same year, he also starred in the American crime drama film, Heat, as Chris Shiherlis, a career criminal and professional thief involved in a major heist that goes wrong. He escapes a shootout with police and goes on the run, also trying to reunite with his wife Charlene, played by Ashley Judd, in the high octane drama. His performance was highly praised and, like Top Gun and Batman Forever, Heat went down as a key moment in Hollywood film history.

British actor David Thewlis starred with Kilmer in the 1996 film, The Island of Dr Moreau, when they spent five months in an Australian rainforest together during filming. On hearing the sad news of Kilmer’s death, he described their “wonderful” experiences together. Kilmer had sent Thewlis a message shortly before his death, saying, “What an incredible story we lived, you and I. One of the greatest.” Thewlis said the news of Kilmer’s death was “heartbreaking” and described him as “one of the most extraordinary people I have ever met”.

Sadly, in 2015, Kilmer’s throat cancer diagnosis seriously affected not only his acting career, but also his life, as he was unable to speak as he used to, due to a tracheal procedure. However, he never lost his zest for life, nor his love of acting.