Tom Cruise Started Sobbing After Seeing His Old Pal Val Kilmer Beat Cancer in Top Gun: Maverick – “I’ve known Val for decades. Such a powerful actor”
Tom Cruise is one of the most talented actors in the Hollywood industry with a career span of several decades. He has continued to be one of the fan favorites due to his action star image. He unlocked a major milestone in his career when he starred in the sequel to the 1986 hit film, Top Gun. Due to the immense success the film brought, it became the highest-grossing film of his career.
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The film brought back several talented actors onboard, including Cruise’s on-screen rival and old friend, Val Kilmer. The former opened up about his thoughts on having his old pal back in the film after struggling with throat cancer for years.
Tom Cruise’s Thoughts on Iceman’s Return to Top Gun: Maverick
The 60-year-old actor, Tom Cruise recently made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live where he gave an insight on various topics related to his 2022 blockbuster film, Top Gun: Maverick. At the same, he was asked about his experience working with Val Kilmer once again. For the unversed, Kilmer portrayed the character of Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in the Top Gun series, who is an on-screen rival of the former’s character, Maverick.
He shared in the interview that their reunion in the film was “pretty emotional,” especially when he knew that his old pal was struggling healthwise.
He continued,
“I’ve known Val for decades, and for him to come back and play that character, he’s such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again… you just, you’re looking at Iceman.”
Even though Kilmer’s character was his nemesis in the film, the two end up being friends, who even helped Maverick when he got in trouble. Not just on-screen, their real-life friendship also impacted their reunion in the film which is why Kilmer’s entry in the sequel was crucial. The 63-year-old star was much appreciated for his role due to his health condition that affected him in a severe way, however, he still did his best and gave justice to his role in the film.
Val Kilmer Survived Throat Cancer for Several Years
The Willow actor was diagnosed with throat cancer which he was made public in 2017, and shared how the health battle heavily impacted his life. After going through several medical procedures, having a tracheostomy affected his ability to speak. Despite the circumstances, he eventually returned for the sequel.
Tom Cruise in an interview with PEOPLE opened up about the actor,
“The kind of talent that he has, and you see that scene, it’s very special, it’s just very special.”
Meanwhile, producer Jerry Bruckheimer told THR last year that he was not going to make the hit film without Kilmer.
“When we filmed it, it was a very emotional day, having Val there and seeing him work with Tom after 35 years.”
The actor can only speak with a plug to a stoma in his trachea. Even in the film, his natural voice was digitally enhanced for clarity.
Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live
