Val Kilmer may have lost his voice, but he'll never lose his status as a beloved Hollywood legend — and if you need proof, look no further than his cameo in "Top Gun: Maverick." Here's what the actor himself thought of his unforgettable scene.
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00:00Val Kilmer may have lost his voice, but he'll never lose his status as a beloved Hollywood
00:05legend.
00:06And if you need proof, look no further than his cameo in Top Gun Maverick.
00:09Here's what the actor himself thought of his unforgettable scene.
00:13Val Kilmer was no doubt one of the biggest stars of the 90s.
00:16Doc Holliday and Jim Morrison were just some of his best on-screen performances, but we
00:20would be remiss in not remembering one of the roles that started it all.
00:24Even though Kilmer was so reluctant to take on the part of Iceman in Top Gun that he botched
00:28the audition, the film became an 80s pop culture classic and cemented Cruise's future
00:33as an action star.
00:34Thirty years later, Top Gun was on the docket for a resurgence.
00:37The release of Top Gun Maverick had many anticipating it would return in the new film.
00:41Of course, Goose, who was played by Anthony Edwards, is clearly not on that list, but
00:45that doesn't mean there weren't meaningful cameos in store.
00:48At the top of the list, Kilmer's appearance in the film would, unfortunately, come with
00:52some caveats.
00:53The actor's throat cancer diagnosis has made acting a challenge.
00:56However, Top Gun Maverick was insistent on his involvement, and his appearance was moving
01:00for everyone involved.
01:01Iceman and Maverick may be seen as adversarial in the original Top Gun, but the same cannot
01:06be said for the actors that play them.
01:08Kilmer and Cruise have been close friends since the filming of the movie, and corresponded
01:11about their characters in Top Gun Maverick.
01:14Because of his throat cancer, Kilmer's role was retooled accordingly, and an interview
01:17he did with the Los Angeles Times was done via email.
01:20Reflecting on the film, Kilmer said,
01:22We talked quite a bit about what was best for the story, and I think they got it right
01:25at the end.
01:26The Navy needs Maverick.
01:30Because he and Cruise have remained friendly throughout the years, communication about
01:33the new film was easy.
01:34Out of respect to Kilmer, they wrote into the film that Iceman also had throat cancer,
01:38and shot a scene where he and Maverick are communicating through typed text.
01:42This became a scene that was appreciated by everyone, including director Joseph Kaczynski,
01:47who stated that Kilmer has not lost his edge.
01:49He said,
01:50He was completely present in the scene and able to convey so much emotion without saying
01:55a word.
01:56I remember noticing that with his introduction in Heat.
01:58So much said with just one look.
02:00Both Kilmer and Cruise were reportedly emotional during the scene that was about two friends
02:04coming together, as in life.
02:05It's no surprise that emotions ran high on set.
02:08In the film, P. Maverick Mitchell returns as a reluctant hero set to train the newest
02:12Top Gun recruits.
02:13One of these recruits is none other than Rooster, the son of Maverick's wingman, Goose, who
02:18died during a flying exercise.
02:20In addition, Maverick's interaction with Iceman is emotionally loaded.
02:23Kaczynski explained to The Hollywood Reporter how the magic of the scene came together as
02:27the two old friends communicated.
02:29He said,
02:30Val and Tom performed the scene, and then we enhanced Val's voice by blending it with
02:33another one, mostly for clarity more than anything else.
02:36Though initially anxious about how Kilmer would react to the scene, they were rewarded
02:39in the end.
02:40Kaczynski told The Hollywood Reporter,
02:42Obviously, we were all a little nervous showing it to him just because we really wanted him
02:46to like it.
02:47But his response was beautiful.
02:48He was so happy and so moved by it that it made us all feel really good, and that maybe
02:52we had gotten it right.
02:53Who's the better pilot, you or me?
03:00This is a nice moment.
03:01Let's not ruin it.