Val Kilmer gave some unforgettable performances in some of the best films of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Arguably though, he is most widely known for his role as Top Gun's Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, the rival pilot to Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Shortly after Kilmer's passing in April, Cruise paid tribute to his late friend and co-star. And, during a more recent interview, the Maverick portrayer recalled the story of how he and others had to convince Kilmer to join the aviator flick since he was reluctant to sign on.
Tom Cruise Talks The Impact Of Val Kilmer’s Decision To Do Top Gun
True to his name, the "Iceman" was pretty cold towards Tom Cruise and director Tony Scott when they sought him out for the role. Kilmer previously admitted to not wanting to do the film at all, much less play Iceman. Despite not being keen on joining the 1984 film, he auditioned more as a show of good faith towards Scott but purposefully put no effort into the tryout. However, Kilmer underestimated the Days of Thunder duo’s admiration for his work. During a chat with the BFI (via Deadline), Cruise recalled going through great lengths to land Kilmer:
I felt so grateful that he decided to make the film. We did a lot to get him in the movie. Originally, he just didn’t want to make the movie, ‘I don’t want to be a supporting, I want to star in films.’ I was calling his agent, and Tony Scott was hunting him down and meeting in an elevator with Val, and he was like, ‘Please, Val, please.’
Obviously, Kilmer gave in. Having seen Top Gun, it’s clear to me what Scott and Cruise were after. While reminiscing about filming with the late actor, Cruise remembered the ease with which Kilmer flexed his acting expertise, including perfectly improvised moments. The Oscar nominee specifically talked about one scene in particular, and how it felt to act opposite Kilmer:
You just see what a great actor, charismatic guy he was. And in that scene, what I love about what he did and how he played it, he just knew that tone to hit. He had to play it so you wanted these guys to be friends in the end. Do you know what I’m saying? And I remember those scenes like they were yesterday, acting with him, where he did the bite thing. You know when you’re acting with somebody and you just see they’re just on fire. It’s exhilarating. I love when the scene just goes to a different place.
The scene Tom Cruise is referring to is a key turning point in the film, where Iceman’s disdain for "cowboy" pilot Maverick turns from playful to more serious. This exchange between Val Kilmer and Cruise is so charged yet natural that it gives me chills. Val Kilmer's antagonistic chemistry with Cruise in that scene and others is what makes Top Gun a must-watch ‘80s classic.
Memorable moments like this make it seem wild the Batman Forever actor ever considered the supporting role unworthy of his time. Kilmer makes Iceman seem like a larger-than-life, ever-present character always hanging over Maverick. In actuality, he had very limited screen time, but Cruise makes it clear that he really made the most of each minute:
If you look at Top Gun, I think he’s in the movie maybe ten minutes. That’s the impact of an artist like that.
It’s hard to imagine this Top Gun rivalry without Kilmer. At the end of the film, the two rival pilots agree to be each other’s wingman anytime, something the real life actors didn’t forget. By the time a sequel was greenlit over 20 years later, the tables had turned, and it was Kilmer who was begging to be a part of the film. Thankfully, the Jack Reacher actor was committed to making it happen.
Why Kilmer’s Return In Top Gun Maverick Was So Special
When Top Gun: Maverick hit theaters and broke the box office in 2022, fans were overjoyed to see the OG Iceman on the big screen. Kilmer specifically requested to appear in the follow-up, and worked with director Joseph Kosinski personally on his storyline. Cruise and Kilmer reunited both in person and in character and, in regard to both instances, the Rain Man actor recalled that they picked up where they left off:
And to come back all those years later, and it was amazing being on set for Top Gun: Maverick [Joseph Kosinski, 2022] because it was like time had not passed. We were laughing and it was joyous. And then we started acting and it’s just, you see it… he became Iceman. The power that this guy has, even not saying anything, to become that character. You see how even the sniff that he gave. He was Iceman. And you saw the dynamic between these friends.
Even with the challenges posed by Val Kilmer's throat cancer, he was able to talk with AI voice reconstruction. Though their scene in Top Gun: Maverick is short, it speaks volumes regarding the growth of the former enemies’ friendship through the years.
Not only is Mitchell able to ask for Kazansky’s help and advice, but he can accept and value it as well. On the other side, Kazansky is able to admit that he's not the one who the new class of pilots need as a menter, but rather his old rival. It was a very touching moment for fans to watch, and Kilmer told Kosinski how happy he was with the final result. Cruise feels the same way:
It was very special, to say the least, for me personally. I just tell people… you take Iceman from the first film and you look at it here, that whole journey, he became Iceman. And he didn’t even have to speak. That’s what he’s able to do. Beautiful, really beautiful. A gift that he had and that he shared with all of us.
It’s safe to say everyone on set felt it was huge to have the veteran Top Gun actor join the new cast. While Kilmer’s character died before the end of Maverick, I’m sure the late actor's absence will be felt regardless while filming the upcoming Top Gun 3. The movie is still in the writing stage of production, so it could be some time before it ultimately flies into theaters.
If anything, though, I would imagine that a threequel would somehow pay tribute to Val Kilmer and his contributions to the franchise just as Tom Cruise and co. honored late director Tony Scott in Top Gun: Maverick.
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