The movie Val Kilmer regretted signing up for without reading the script: “Crushed by the reality”
In 1995, Val Kilmer hit the peak of his Hollywood career. After a run of films such as The Doors and Tombstone that saw him climb the ladder of A-list stardom, he starred in two enormous hits in a row. His role as the unhinged Chris Shiherlis in Michael Mann’s astonishing heist movie, Heat, received some of the best reviews of his career, and the film is still considered a classic today.
Eight months earlier, though, he played the part that would forever define him in the eyes of moviegoers. While the role seemed like a no-brainer at the time, Kilmer later admitted to regretting taking it on, especially because he signed on without reading a word of the script.
Amazingly, he first got word that Warner Bros executives wanted him for this iconic part when he was on holiday in Africa, having just visited a real-life bat cave. Suddenly, he found himself on the phone being offered the role of Batman in the third instalment of the all-conquering superhero franchise. Kilmer was told that Michael Keaton had walked away from it after two films directed by Tim Burton, and in the process, the iconic Goth helmer had also left the project.
Warner Bros’ plan was to completely reinvent the franchise with a new director and a younger star, and the studio saw Kilmer as just the man for the job. At this time, though, they couldn’t tell Kilmer who the new director would be, which would typically be a stumbling block for any actor. Kilmer, though, was immediately overcome with memories of being a childhood superfan of the 1960s Batman TV show, and how his family took him on a tour of the set. He couldn’t help thinking this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play an iconic character beloved by millions all across the globe. So, he said ‘yes’ to Batman Forever without even reading the screenplay.
To Kilmer’s horror, the difference between being a kid who loved Batman and being an adult hired to play the caped crusader was a gaping chasm filled with broken dreams. It’s been well-publicised that the star didn’t get along with director Joel Schumacher—who even referred to him as “psychotic”— but he also found playing the Dark Knight to be a completely thankless task in and of itself.
“Whatever boyhood excitement I had was crushed by the reality of the Batsuit,” Kilmer admitted in his poignant documentary Val. “Yes, every boy wants to be Batman. They actually want to be him; not necessarily play him in a movie.”
Indeed, trying to extract a nuanced and powerful performance while physically and emotionally restricted by the confines of the Batsuit was extremely difficult for Kilmer. He jealously watched as co-stars Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones had the time of their lives cavorting around as The Riddler and Two-Face, while he was stuck in a costume that rendered him like something akin to a partially deaf statue.
“I couldn’t hear anything, and, after a while, people stopped talking to me,” Kilmer grumbled. “I think it made no difference what I was doing. I tried to be like an actor on a soap opera.”
He chuckled that he had one main trick that he pulled again and again in scenes with Nicole Kidman, who played Bruce Wayne/Batman’s love interest, Dr Chase Meridian. “When I would turn to Nicole,” he smiled, “I couldn’t count how many times I put my hands on my hips.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Kilmer wasn’t in a hurry to return as Batman for the sequel, so he followed Keaton on his way out the bat-door. He was replaced by George Clooney for Batman & Robin in 1997, and that same year, Kilmer starred in a blockbuster that went head-to-head with the fourth bat-picture. Amusingly, it seemed like Kilmer purposely sought out a role that wouldn’t restrict him at all. You see, in The Saint, he played a master of disguise who regularly switched between bizarre, eccentric identities, meaning he effectively played ten roles in one. Take that, Batman!
