Val Kilmer’s favourite movies of his career: “Many of them are like old friends”
When the documentary Val debuted in 2021, fans of Val Kilmer were treated to one of the most moving, intimate portraits of a famous movie star ever committed to film. Kilmer had spent most of his life filming his experiences, so the film was full of private footage which would have never usually seen the light of day. The documentary explored his childhood, his heyday as a ’90s leading man, and then his battle with throat cancer which led to chemotherapy and two devastating tracheotomies. Throughout, fans were treated to behind-the-scenes footage from the sets of his many films, and it emphasised just how many great pictures he has been a part of. But which movies does Kilmer himself value the most?
When Kilmer was interviewed by Variety in 2018, it was ostensibly to promote his latest direct-to-video effort, The Super. In reality, though, everyone wanted to know about the long-in-development sequel to Top Gun, which had finally been greenlit in 2016. Kilmer officially signed on to reprise his iconic role as “Iceman”, and when asked how the character’s legacy should live on, he gave a typically emotional response. The reflective star said: “With the same economy and joy the first one was made. We’ve had so much fun acting together again after all these years. Boy, what a thrill.”
Ultimately, Top Gun: Maverick finally arrived in 2022, and it was a triumphant experience for everyone involved. The film was a cultural phenomenon, and Kilmer’s small – but pivotal – role as Iceman added some legitimate, real-life emotion to proceedings. His heart-to-heart scene with Tom Cruise’s Maverick, in which he types his thoughts into a computer because he cannot speak anymore, brought a tear to the eye of every fan.
However, while Kilmer loves Top Gun and everything it brought him, he didn’t namecheck it when asked which of his own films he enjoys watching the most. He mused, “Many of them are like old friends,” before immediately spotlighting an iconic western that many fans will have at the top of their own Kilmer lists.
Years earlier, in 1993, Kilmer played legendary gunfighter Doc Holliday in George P Cosmatos’ Tombstone. His performance as the outlaw dentist dying of tuberculosis is pure charisma, and it’s always been one of his signature roles. The production was far from easy, though, as it had a revolving door policy regarding directors.
Writer Kevin Jarre signed on to make his directorial debut on the film but was fired less than a month into shooting because he was out of depth. Then Cosmatos took over, but even his role in the film has been questioned, as leading man Kurt Russell claimed he wound up directing most of it personally. Kilmer revealed, “Tombstone was very challenging for all the externals, and it was a rare heat wave. We also lost our director three weeks into it. So we lost a lot of time on a tight budget. The cast and crew were amazing.”
After waxing lyrical about Tombstone, Kilmer then namedropped another handful of classics and a couple of unlikely picks for his favourites. He rifled off “Heat and The Doors and Thunderheart and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” with machine-gun precision, and they all made perfect sense. After all, films directed by Michael Mann, Oliver Stone, Michael Apted, and Shane Black would take pride of place in most actors’ favourite lists.
However, then Kilmer threw a couple of curveballs. Instead of naming classics like True Romance or Willow, he chose Alexander – a maligned Stone historical epic – and Billy the Kid – a 1989 TV movie that isn’t well-remembered today. Still, to Kilmer, they held a special place in his heart, and he wistfully said, “I’m so lucky. So blessed”.
