Actor Val Kilmer was considered one of the most underrated leading men of his generation. Credited with films like Top Gun, Batman Forever, Heat and Doors, the actor had a wide spectrum of roles under his belt. One of his most iconic roles was playing Iceman in the 1986 film Top Gun alongside Tom Cruise, and when it came to casting for the 2022 sequel, Cruise made sure that he was a part of the narrative.
According to Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Tom made it clear that Kilmer had to return as a cool and cocky fighter pilot once more and said, “We have to have Val. We have to have him back. We have to have him in the film.” This was, however, easier said than done, as Kilmer had been diagnosed with throat cancer back in 2017, and while he had defeated the disease after two tracheostomies, the actor had lost most of his ability to speak.
Yet with the use of AI, Kilmer’s voice was used in the film, and his disease was incorporated into the script to make his speech seem natural. He was seen typing to communicate with Maverick in most of their scenes together as Iceman was also seen suffering from the same disease. It was in their last scene together where he speaks, a process made possible after putting in hours of work to synthesise his voice samples and find the one that suited him best.
In an appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel show, Cruise talked about his reunion with the actor and said, “I have worked with Val for decades, and for him to come back and play that character, he’s such a powerful actor that he instantly became Iceman.” Cruise added that he got emotional in his scene with Kilmer and cried while filming.
Around the time of the sequel’s release, Kilmer shared a picture of his scene with Cruise with the caption, “36 years later and I am still your wingman.”
A particular scene from the film, where Iceman writes, “It’s time to let go,” to Maverick left audience members in tears. The film, with $1.496 billion earnings at the box office, was one of those few sequels that was both BO and critical success.
The actor was a formidable force in the 80s and 90s, delivering roles like Bruce Wayne and playing rockstar Jim Morrison in the film Doors. The original members of the band claimed that Kilmer was so good with his vocals that they actually thought it was Morrison who was singing.
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Kilmer passed away on Wednesday due to pneumonia at the age of 65.
