Val Kilmer was an actor dedicated to his craft, perhaps even to excess. Many of his former co-stars and directors have spoken of what it was like working behind the scenes with this notoriously difficult actor on films such as «Top Gun» , «Batman Forever» , «Tombstone» и «Doors» .
Kilmer, who died on April 1, 2025, at the age of 65, was acutely aware of his Hollywood reputation. And during a Reddit Q&A in 2017, he shared some thoughts. He admitted to "taking risks" with his roles, not always considering the potential financial impact on production, which he acknowledged was "stupid." As he explained, "I was often dissatisfied, trying to make better movies.".
Here are 11 memorable stories told by Kilmer's former co-stars and directors.
01 of 11
Tom Cruise
Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise in "Top Gun." Photo: Paramount Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty
In the film «Top Gun» They played on-screen rivals, and like their characters, Cruise and Kilmer had a complex relationship that changed with age. During the filming of the 1986 movie, the actors, working under the Stanislavski method, became so immersed in their roles as Maverick and Iceman that they barely interacted with each other when the cameras weren't rolling.
Despite their tense relationship on set, "I was so grateful that he decided to make this movie," Cruise told the magazine. Sight and Sound set in 2025, about Kilmer, a Juilliard graduate who didn't want to play a "minor" role.
«"I was calling his agent," Cruise recalled, "and [director] Tony Scott was looking for him and was going to meet him in the elevator... and he was saying, 'Please, Val, please.'".
As Iceman, Kilmer was "absolutely magnificent," Cruise enthused. "If you watch «Top Gun» , "It seems like he only appears in the film for 10 minutes. That's the kind of impact an artist like that has.".
Three decades later, when Cruise and Kilmer reunited for the sequel,« Top Gun: Maverick »"It felt like time stood still. We were laughing, and it was joyful. And then we started playing, and there you go… he became Iceman.".
By this time, Kilmer's voice had been severely affected by throat cancer, and this detail was written into the script: Iceman communicated with Maverick by typing his thoughts on a computer.
«"He didn't even have to say it," Cruz said. "That's what he can do. Beautiful, truly beautiful. A gift he had and shared with all of us.".
Two days after Kilmer's death, Cruise took time during his appearance at CinemaCon to "honor the memory of a dear friend.".
«I truly can’t put into words how much I admired his work, how much I thought of him as a person, and how grateful and honored I was when he joined the first film. «Top Gun »" and returned to «"Top Gun: Maverick"» . »He gave so much to all of us through his roles,” Cruise said.
02 of 11
Warwick Davis
Val Kilmer and Warwick Davis in "Willow." Photo: MGM/Courtesy Everett
In the film «Willow» In the 1988 fantasy film about a disillusioned warrior who joins forces with an aspiring magician, played by Davis, to protect a young princess, Kilmer had an ally both on and off screen.
«It was thanks to him that I was able to complete the filming of the movie «Willow »"," Davis said. Entertainment Weekly after Kilmer's death. "Because if I was tired, exhausted, bored, cold, he'd say, 'Go on, keep going!' And he was such a supportive leader. He was a wonderful person.".
Kilmer was unable to return to his role in the 2022 Disney+ series due to health issues, and his presence was very much felt.
«"I always like to tell the world what a wonderful person he was, because I often think the media has created a false impression of who he was as a person," Davis told EW. "He was a very warm, generous, and kind-hearted person.".
03 of 11
Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone cast Val Kilmer in The Doors. Photo: TriStar Pictures/Courtesy Everett
In the 1991 biographical film «Doors» Kilmer portrayed psychedelic rocker Jim Morrison.
«"He was a difficult man to get along with," Stone told RogerEbert.com in 2025. "Creative people are often self-absorbed, and there was a lot about him that you'd expect from an eccentric young actor in Hollywood—though even by that standard, Val was quite unusual.".
The relationship between Kilmer and Stone started well, but filming «Doors» ended on an unpleasant note, especially for the lead actor.
«"He did a great job, but he wasn't happy with me or with himself, and he was very frustrated in many ways," Stone said. "He hurt me at the end of the film with some unkind words. In a way, it was a bittersweet experience, you know: 'Goodbye. Go to hell.' Something like that.".
Despite controversy when Stone cast for the film «"Alexander"» In 2004, he had one person in mind for the role of King Philip II of Macedon, the father of the main character.
«"I had a feeling he would do a great job," Stone said of Kilmer. "And he did a perfect job.".
04 of 11
Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer in "Tombstone." Photo: Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett
Making a Western «Tombstone »"The 1993 filming of the film was a rather chaotic process, beginning with the firing of the original director early in production. But for Russell and Kilmer, who played Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, respectively, the chaos only brought them closer together.
«"I think it was one of his best performances," Russell said. Rolling Stone magazine immediately after Kilmer's death. "We were always in cahoots. We were always thinking along the same lines. That's a lot of why I enjoyed working with him so much. It was a collaboration in many ways, and that's wonderful.".
Russell admitted that he felt sympathy for Kilmer because he was able to recognize the man behind his tough exterior.
«"I don't dispute that he was a complex person, but I always felt like he was hiding too much, and I couldn't help but admire him," Russell said.
Mutual admiration cemented a lifelong bond. The last time Russell visited Kilmer before his death, "he had trouble speaking, [but] he said wonderful things. He had a pretty good sense of humor," Russell recalled in Rolling Stone interview . "He said, 'Sometimes I could be a little kinder to a lot of people.' And he laughed. He was looking back on his life. He was a good guy.".
05 of 11
Michael Biehn
Michael Biehn in "Tombstone." Photo: John Bramley/Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy of Everett.
As always, Kilmer, being an actor working according to the Stanislavsky system, remained in character on the set. «Tombstone» , avoiding friendly relations with Doc Holliday's arch-enemy, the gangster Johnny Ringo, played by Bean.
«"I get asked about Val Kilmer all the time, and I always say the same thing: I have no idea because I've never met Val Kilmer," Biehn said on his podcast in 2025. Just Foolin About . "I never interacted with anyone I thought was Val Kilmer... There was no contact. We kept our distance.".
As Bean explained, on the Arizona set, there was a clear line between law enforcement and gangsters. Kilmer and Russell had their own faction, distinct from the gangster factions like Bean's Ringo and Powers Boothe's "Curly Bill" Brosius. The rivalry between Holliday and Ringo ultimately culminates in a deadly duel—a key scene that had to be rehearsed. Kilmer and Bean arrived on location separately and, upon arrival, ignored each other.
«There was never any greeting like, „Hey, Val, how are you?“,” Bean recalls. “Nothing like that… because he was one of the them ».
06 of 11
Joel Schumacher
Val Kilmer and "Batman Forever" director Joel Schumacher in 1995. Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
For the director «Batman Forever movie seemed like an eternity. Kilmer, who replaced Michael Keaton in 1995, was "childish and insufferable," Schumacher said. to Entertainment Weekly in 1996, after he replaced Kilmer with George Clooney in the film «Batman and Robin» .
«"[Kilmer] was behaving irrationally and aggressively toward the first assistant director, the cameraman, and the wardrobe department," Schumacher said. "He was behaving badly, rudely, and inappropriately. I had to tell him that this was unacceptable for one second longer.".
Kilmer was so upset that he didn't speak to the director for two weeks.
«"It was bliss," Schumacher joked.
07 of 11
Drew Barrymore
Val Kilmer, Nicole Kidman, Jim Carrey, and Drew Barrymore in "Batman Forever." Photo: Warner Bros.
Barrymore had a very different experience during filming. film "Batman Forever"« .
«Val Kilmer was so kind to me,” recalled the actress who played Sugar, Two-Face’s ally, in The Drew Barrymore Show« . »He was so caring, kind and made me feel safe, which was really important to me.”.
08 of 11
John Frankenheimer
Val Kilmer in "The Island of Doctor Moreau." Photo: New Line/Getty
Richard Stanley, the film's original director «The Island of Doctor Moreau» , left the project just three days into filming due to the "conflictual" Kilmer. Frankenheimer took his place and inherited the same difficulties as Stanley. Only he gave it all back to Kilmer.
Once, the actor tried to voice his opinion during a scene, but Frankenheimer cut him off before he could finish: "I don't care what you think." Reportedly, the moment Kilmer finished his final scene, Frankenheimer exclaimed, "Now get that bastard off my set!"«
However, the director openly expressed his opinion of the star in an interview with EW: «I don’t like Val Kilmer, I don’t like his work ethic, and I never want to have anything to do with him again.».
09 of 11
Nicolas Cage
In the film "Bad Lieutenant: Destination New Orleans," starring Val Kilmer and Nicolas Cage. Photo: Lena Herzog/First Look
In the film «"Bad Lieutenant : Port of destination: New Orleans"» In 2009, Kilmer was able to showcase his comedic talent by playing the partner of Cage's lead character, a drug-addicted police detective trying to solve a series of murders.
As Cage told Collider, they had long admired each other and had developed an "interesting relationship.".
«We don’t have a special friendship, but we wrote letters to each other, from one actor to another, expressing mutual support, as it was during the filming of the movies «Tombstone» и «Leaving Las Vegas »"," Cage said. "We always knew there was a sense of camaraderie between us... So the opportunity to work with Val was very welcome, and I hope we'll have many more projects together. In many ways, he's like a brother to me, a fellow artist.".
When his former co-star died in 2025, Cage recalled working with Kilmer in «"Bad lieutenant"» , said: "I admired his dedication and sense of humor.".
10 of 11
Jorma Taccone
Jorma Taccone and Val Kilmer at the 2010 premiere of "MacGruber." Photo: Jesse Knish/WireImage
Kilmer and the director's first meeting, when they discussed the 2010 action comedy «MacGruber» , a parody of «MacGyver» , with Will Forte from «Saturday Night Live »" starring, started off rather strangely.
«"I went to Malibu to meet him, and his door was open," Tacone recalled in The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers podcast . "I walked into the house, and he was standing on the balcony… throwing little chips or something into the ocean, and he was like, 'Are you the king? Are you the king?'"«
Kilmer then began throwing "little paper chips" at Taccone.
«"It took me a few minutes to realize he'd been invited to Mardi Gras that year to play King Bacchus, the one who leads the float," he explained. "And these were little paper tokens with his image on them that he was supposed to throw into the crowd.".
Eventually, Taccone realized Kilmer was "just messing with me," and that was the start of a fun relationship.
«"He was such a wonderful, yet incredibly charismatic person, simply mocking life and in every way the most interesting mind," the director said. "I will forever remember that meeting.".
11 of 11
Adam Marcus
Val Kilmer in "Conspiracy," directed by Adam Marcus. Photo courtesy of Everett.
Director film "Conspiracy"« 2008, in which Kilmer starred, waited until the star's death to break the silence, and he did not keep silent about his not very pleasant memories.
«"#MicroIntellectMonday - back when I was directing this guy," Marcus joked in a June 1, 2026, post on Threads. "The guy who played Iceman and Doc Holiday. You know who I'm talking about. Here we are with this idiot practicing stunts on the set of the movie." «"CONSPIRACY »"," he wrote, accompanying the post with a photo of himself and Kilmer, who played a disabled veteran investigating the disappearance of his friend in an Arizona border town.
The timing was extremely unfortunate—just over a year had passed since the actor's death. However, Marcus didn't care.
«"And for those of you rolling your eyes at all this 'don't speak ill of the dead' bullshit, screw it," he continued, adding that if Kilmer "had done even a tenth of what he did on my set today, he would have been canceled in a heartbeat. The worst human being I've ever known... and that's really saying something.".
Marcus did not go into detail about what he claimed Kilmer was doing in program "Conspiracy"« , and eventually deleted the controversial post entirely.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.