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Val Kilmer explains his ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ return and ‘authentic friendship’ with Tom Cruise

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The Iceman cometh again, this time as a friend. And as Val Kilmer tells The Times, “I can’t believe how kind the whole world has been. ... It’s very humbling.”

The box-office standout of the summer season so far, “ Top Gun: Maverick ” has already become Tom Cruise’s biggest domestic grosser and blown audiences away with its aerial action sequences . But perhaps the most memorable — almost certainly the most moving — scene in the film is the quiet reunion of onetime rivals , now closest of comrades: Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Cruise) and Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Kilmer).

The moment is informed by years of friendship both in the script and in real life — and by Kilmer’s real-life health struggles .

Iceman, who has throat cancer in a reflection of Kilmer’s own diagnosis, communicates with Maverick via typed words on a screen. When that’s no longer enough, he uses his struggling voice to connect with his friend of 3½ decades.

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“Very personal and moving” are the words Kilmer used to describe how playing that moment felt to him.

Kilmer answered emailed questions from The Times about the scene, his relationship with Cruise and how he’s doing after years of cancer treatment and surgeries. He said the onscreen reunion had been in the works for years but no reunion was necessary offscreen, as the two actors had remained friends since meeting on the original “Top Gun” (1986) .

“We talked quite a bit about what was best for the story and I think they got it right at the end,” wrote Kilmer of Cruise. “We are in touch and exchange Xmas gifts every year!”

As to the scene itself, Kilmer acknowledges he was the one typing the words on the computer screen as Iceman “talked” to Maverick.

“We actually shot it twice,” he said via email. “First time was in San Diego. They wanted to make a wardrobe change and we ended up with the scene you see in the movie with the computer.”

After one of the takes (we only did a few) I noticed that both Tom and Val had tears in their eyes. It felt like a genuine moment between two old friends.

— Joseph Kosinski, director, “Top Gun: Maverick”

Being mostly unable to use his voice is a huge adjustment, of course, for one of Hollywood’s more expressive actors. Vocal transformations have highlighted his appearances in such films as “ The Doors ” (in the deep baritone of frontman Jim Morrison), “ Tombstone ” (in the aristocratic drawl of Doc Holliday) or “ The Saint ” (in a host of guises of varying nationalities ). The key component to that “Maverick” scene, then, had to be that other, less heralded acting skill: listening.

“That’s exactly what acting is, reacting,” Kilmer wrote. “Being in the moment.”

When asked what help he appreciated most during the scene, though, the answer wasn’t technical or about extra time: “A couple of dear friends came by set!”

Also by email, director Joseph Kosinski said, “[Kilmer] is completely present in the scene and able to convey so much emotion without saying a word. I remember noticing that with his introduction in ‘Heat’ — so much said with just one look.

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“When working with an actor of that caliber, you try to create a space for them to do their best work, then get out of the way and let them create.”

Kosinski agreed with the perception that Kilmer and Cruise raised each other’s game: “You’ve got two masters at the top of their game playing the most iconic characters of their careers. I think there is a lot of Maverick in Tom, and Iceman in Val, so what you are seeing onscreen is an authentic friendship that has lasted over 36 years.

“After one of the takes (we only did a few) I noticed that both Tom and Val had tears in their eyes. It felt like a genuine moment between two old friends.”

It wasn’t all heavy, though:

“When we weren’t shooting, they were sharing funny stories with [producer] Jerry [Bruckheimer] about making the original film,” said Kosinski. “I think at the time they were a bit competitive with each other, but now it’s something they can just laugh about.”

Kilmer wrote, “Tom and I get along really well. We giggled like little kids in school between takes. I consider him a real friend. We shared intimate stories and challenges about our different lifestyles!!”

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Since the film has come out, apart from its box-office laurels and generally enthusiastic reception, Kilmer’s cameo has been one of its most universally praised elements. Justin Chang’s review in The Times voices a typical response: “In one fictional moment, he gives us something unmistakably, irreducibly real, partly by puncturing the fantasy of human invincibility that his co-star has never stopped trying to sell.”

Kilmer says the flood of affection has been surprising: “I can’t believe how kind the whole world has been. I get hundreds of fan letters every week. It’s very humbling.”

The 62-year-old actor says he’s nowhere near done. “I’m so great,” he writes of his physical and emotional wellbeing. “Feeling stronger everyday. My dream is to play Frankenstein with Werner Herzog directing. Right now we are in a conflict because he wants to modernize it and I want to keep it classic! Also working on an exciting project that gives artists a place to learn and share their creative talents called Kamp Kilmer .”

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Val Kilmer on the Tom Cruise 'Top Gun: Maverick' reunion, that final hug: 'Straight from the heart'

"Top Gun: Maverick" has thrilled record-breaking theater audiences with jet action and throwbacks to the original  "Top Gun."

But the beating heart of Tom Cruise's screen return as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell after 36 years is the emotional meeting with one-time "Top Gun" pilot rival Tom  "Iceman" Kazansky, played by Val Kilmer. 

On screen, Iceman is now Admiral Kazansky , who has spent his Navy career looking after the rebellious Maverick and is near the end of his life due to an unspecified illness. The real performance comes from the two superstars who shot to worldwide fame with 1986's  "Top Gun" and are reunited in the long-awaited sequel.

Cruise, 59, has remained one of the world's last movie superstars, while the once famously mercurial leading man Kilmer, 62, battled throat cancer in the 2010s that required a tracheotomy which still greatly impacts his speaking voice.

There have been many teary eyes watching the "Maverick" reunion, including from Kilmer.

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"I was very moved the first time I saw it. Almost 40 years is a long time for a reunion," Kilmer tells USA TODAY over email of the scene. "We laughed all day. Tom is great and surprisingly funny!!"

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"Maverick" director Joseph Kosinski says the scene's depth was boosted by real emotions.

"It's a long friendship. They were both there at their career beginnings with the original 'Top Gun.' I'm sure there was a little bit of a rivalry back then, just like the characters," says Kosinski. "But for both to be back in this movie, it was a really special moment. There was so much joy."

Kilmer says he was gunning for a reunion as soon as the sequel was announced three decades after the original "Top Gun."

"I called the agent immediately," Kilmer says. "Yes, 'Top Gun' has all the perfect elements for a sequel."

Kilmer, who was indifferent to earning his "Top Gun" role in his original audition, wrote In his 2020 memoir  "I’m Your Huckleberry"  that he pleaded for the "Maverick" part: "As the Temptations sang in the heyday of Motown soul, ‘ain’t too proud to beg.’ The producers went for it and Cruise went for it.' "

Kosinski says it was Kilmer who suggested the idea of Iceman serving as the high-ranking mentor, discussing the part with himself, Cruise, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

"It is nice to see Iceman reach such success in the career he loved," Kilmer says of his new admiral status. "It's a good story arc. And it was very exciting to be back at it with Tom."

In the scene, instructor Maverick is called to Iceman's house to discuss his pilot recruits, including Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the troubled pilot son of Maverick's late BFF Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards).

Kilmer, wearing a sweater and a scarf, types most of his "Maverick" dialogue to Cruise on a computer keyboard, including asking, "How's my wingman?" - a follow-up to Iceman's final line to his rival in the original, "You can be my wingman, anytime."

But as the "Maverick" scene deepens, Iceman eventually speaks, saying, "The Navy needs you Maverick, they (the pilots) need you."

The scene evolved to the speaking finale, says Kosinski. "It ends up being more powerful when (Kilmer) speaks at the end of the scene. Those words carry more weight," says Kosinski.

"It changed every day in rehearsals," says Kilmer. "They made the right choice in the end."

The final hug between the two onscreen was "straight from the heart," says Kilmer. "I love Tom. We’ve always gotten along great."

There is a moment of levity as the two argue over who was a better pilot since Iceman won the Top Gun Trophy in the original. 

"One can always use a laugh," says Kilmer who makes it clear he's the ace. "There can only be one Top Gun..."

Kilmer, who starred with his daughter Mercedes in the 2020 crime drama "Pay Dirt," says he's well healthwise and looking forward to more work.

"I’m feeling strong and excited to play any chance I get," Kilmer says.

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Top Gun: Maverick 's Val Kilmer says he's still Tom Cruise's wingman

By Jack King

Thirty-six years on, Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise are still the best of pals (or, if they're anything like their Top Gun duo, frenemies — but probably not…) 

On Instagram last week, Kilmer shared a short n' sweet tribute to his Top Gun co-star. “[Thirty-six] years later… I'm still your wingman," the 62-year-old wrote. Kilmer has a cameo part in the latest Top Gun flick, Maverick , returning as the titular pilot's one-time flight school adversary Iceman, now ascendant to the status of admiral — and, perhaps more importantly, keeping Mav veritably employed after the hot-headed aviator loses his wings.

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It'd be a sweet carry-over at the best of times, but Iceman's fleeting return carries special emotional weight owing to Kilmer's real-life swathe of recent health issues. Throat cancer, for one, has snatched away his ability to speak; so, in the movie, Iceman communicates almost wholly by text. That he delivers a couple of lines (put together with an AI programme as Kilmer can't speak at all IRL) is a frisson-inducing act of defiance. Movie stars might not actually be invincible, but even facing the brink, they're tough as can be.

In a recent LA Times interview, Kilmer wrote that he gets “hundreds of fan letters every week,” describing the response to his appearance in Maverick as “very humbling”. Director Joseph Kosinski says Cruise and Kilmer, the two Hollywood vets, had “tears in their eyes" as they shot Iceman's farewell. “Tom and I get along really well,” Kilmer writes. “We giggled like little kids in school between takes. I consider him a real friend. We shared intimate stories and challenges about our different lifestyles!” Ah, dudes being dudes.

Beyond what anyone could've imagined — aside from Cruise himself, perhaps — Top Gun: Maverick continues to soar at the global box office, set to break the billion-dollar barrier sooner than a hypersonic jet can hit Mach 10. Even Pixar's latest kid-friendly picture to hit cinemas, the Toy Story spin-off Lightyear , failed to ground the Mav, with just Jurassic World sequel Dominion able to take a chunk out of the high-flying throwback. 

Those afterburners have plenty of life in them yet…

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Val Kilmer Had a Lot to Say About the Tom Cruise Rivalry Behind the Cameras of 'Top Gun'

Things were tense on camera and off while filming the classic film.

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But it's not just Tom that we'll be meeting once again. In one of his most famous roles of all time , Val Kilmer portrayed Iceman alongside Tom in the original film. Though Val has talked about working with Tom on the J erry Bruckheimer -led drama before, he revealed in the 2021 Amazon Prime documentary Val that beyond the Iceman-Maverick feud on camera, there was also an off-screen rivalry, as well.

But to be clear, it had nothing to do with Val and Tom having a problem with one another. According to Val, it had more to do with how both actors were preparing for their scenes.

"On the page, there was very little to the character Iceman, so I tended to make him real," Val explained in the documentary. "I manifested a backstory for him, where he had a father who ignored him, and as a result, I was driven by a need to be perfect in every way. This obsession with perfection is what made him so arrogant."

Any real-life tension between himself and Tom, therefore, was a result of mirroring what was playing out in front of the cameras.

"I would purposefully play up the rivalry between Tom's character and mine off-screen as well," Val continued. "And what ended up happening is the actors in true method fashion, split into two distinct camps. You had Maverick and Goose ( Anthony Edwards ) on one side, and Slider ( Rick Rossovich ), Hollywood ( Whip Hubley ), Wolfman ( Barry Tubb ) and me, Iceman, on the other."

It's important to note that he and Tom have zero bad blood between them to this day. "It was fun to play up the conflict between our characters, but in reality, I've always thought of Tom as a friend and we've always supported each other," Val concluded.

Val's good will toward Tom has been echoed over the years in various interviews. During a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" Q&A in 2017, Val had nothing but good things to say about Tom yet again.

"He was a sweetheart. We were all quite rowdy — me and all the real flyboys and the actors — so I actually felt a little sorry for him cause we all had time to play and date the cute extras and zoom around San Diego in muscle cars," Val spilled. "But Tom was always in some scene and never go to play with us ..."

Lucky for us, we get to see Tom and Val reunite on the big screen very soon.

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Tom cruise says he was in tears while shooting ‘top gun: maverick’ reunion with val kilmer: “i got emotional”.

A memorable scene from the hit sequel, which is up for six Oscars, features Maverick chatting with Iceman.

By Ryan Gajewski

Ryan Gajewski

Senior Entertainment Reporter

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It turns out that it wasn’t just audiences who got emotional when Tom Cruise ‘s Maverick reunited with Val Kilmer ‘s Iceman in last year’s smash hit Top Gun: Maverick .

Cruise visited Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Friday, where he and host Jimmy Kimmel discussed the film’s phenomenal success, which includes six Oscar nominations heading into next month’s Academy Awards ceremony. During the conversation, viewers saw a clip from Top Gun: Maverick in which Cruise and Kilmer have a brief exchange.

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This led Kimmel to ask, “Were you crying when you guys shot that, or was it just me?” After a laugh, Cruise answered earnestly, “I was crying. I got emotional. He’s such a brilliant actor, and I love his work.”

Kimmel then pointed out that the film doesn’t just emphasize stunts but also has plenty of heart, leading Cruise to confirm, “There’s some tears.”

Kilmer, who co-starred with Cruise in the original 1986 hit Top Gun , has largely lost the capacity to speak due to radiation and chemotherapy treatments for throat cancer. Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced both films, previously told The Hollywood Reporter that Cruise was firm about the sequel including Kilmer, who is now cancer-free.

“[Tom] said, ‘I’m not making this movie without Val,’” Bruckheimer said at the time. “When we filmed it, it was a very emotional day, having Val there and seeing him work with Tom after 35 years.”

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Top Gun: Maverick's Val Kilmer Discusses His Long-Standing Friendship With Tom Cruise

Val Kilmer's on-screen reunion with Tom Cruise has grabbed fans' attention, and according to the star, it is all built on their real-life friendship.

Val Kilmer recently commented that on-set camaraderie was a big part of working on Top Gun back in 1986, and while it is clear that Top Gun: Maverick has captured some of the same vibes, Kilmer revealed that his close friendship with Tom Cruise is not confined to the movie. Speaking to the LA Times via email, Kilmer was asked about his appearance in the movie, which it seems was built on the friendship between Kilmer and Cruise in the script and real life.

The on-screen reunion of Cruise’s Maverick and Kilmer’s Iceman is one of the quietest but instantly iconic moments of Top Gun: Maverick . Away from the aerial acrobatics and action sequences, the short scene between the two is the highlight of the movie for many, including director Joseph Kosinski, who noted that after just a few takes, both actors were tearing up and felt like he was witnessing “a genuine moment between two old friends.” This, it seems, is pretty much the truth of what it was.

In Top Gun: Maverick , Iceman is suffering the same throat cancer as Kilmer received treatment for in real life, which led to the loss of his voice. While he has recently been able to find a voice using AI software, similar use of technology made his single line in the movie possible. When it comes to the way the scene seems so personal, Kilmer puts that down to his long-time friendship with Cruise off-screen. He wrote of the reunion:

“We talked quite a bit about what was best for the story and I think they got it right at the end. We are in touch and exchange Xmas gifts every year! Tom and I get along really well. We giggled like little kids in school between takes. I consider him a real friend. We shared intimate stories and challenges about our different lifestyles!!”

Related: Top Gun: Maverick Director Says Tom Cruise & Val Kilmer's Reunion Was 'Very Emotional'

Top Gun: Maverick Director Heaped Praise on Cruise and Kilmer

Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski has no doubt created a masterpiece of a movie, one of those rare times in cinema when the reviews of critics and audiences are unanimously positive and the box office results align, but he admits that one of the biggest successes of the movie is how Cruise and Kilmer brought out the best in each other. He commented:

“You’ve got two masters at the top of their game playing the most iconic characters of their careers. I think there is a lot of Maverick in Tom, and Iceman in Val, so what you are seeing onscreen is an authentic friendship that has lasted over 36 years. When we weren’t shooting, they were sharing funny stories with [producer] Jerry [Bruckheimer] about making the original film. I think at the time they were a bit competitive with each other, but now it’s something they can just laugh about.”

Top Gun: Maverick is currently the second highest-grossing movie of the year worldwide but is only around $50 million behind Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness . Having taken over $40 million this weekend , there are not many who would bet against Maverick performing magic of his own to overtake the Marvel sorcerer very soon.

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Tom Cruise says he 'got emotional' over Val Kilmer's return for Top Gun sequel: 'I was crying'

"He's such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again. You're looking at Iceman," Cruise said of reuniting with Kilmer for Top Gun: Maverick.

Tom Cruise opened up about the emotional on-screen reunion between himself and Val Kilmer for Top Gun: Maverick . Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live , Cruise shared with the host that there were tears in his eyes when Kilmer reprised his role of Tom "Iceman" Kazansky in the sequel to 1986's Top Gun .

"I just want to say that was pretty emotional," the actor said to Jimmy Kimmel . "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're looking at Iceman."

When asked if he teared up just as much as the audience during that reunion, Cruise responded, "I was crying. I got emotional. He's such a brilliant actor, and I love his work."

Cruise was honored during Saturday's Producers Guild of America Awards with a career achievement distinction. Presenting the David O. Selznick Achievement Award to the blockbuster hit-maker, former Paramount CEO Sherry Lansing said, "He had that magical undefinable quality called charisma. Equally important, Tom had an incredible work ethic. Even then, he was always the first on the set, always well prepared and respectful to everyone. Over 42 years later, despite phenomenal success, Tom Cruise is still that very same person."

Top Gun: Maverick also won Best Stunt Ensemble at this year's Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday. The film is nominated for six Oscars at the March 12 Academy Awards, which Kimmel will once again host.

Tack on to Maverick 's accolades the fact that Steven Spielberg , Cruise's Minority Report and War of the Worlds director, praised the star recently for saving "Hollywood's ass." Top Gun: Maverick was the second movie to cross $1 billion at the box office in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic (following Spider-Man: No Way Home ). It is currently the fifth highest-grossing movie of all time in North America and the 12th highest-grossing movie of all time worldwide.

"You might have saved theatrical distribution," Spielberg told Cruise in a video shared on Instagram by director Kartiki Gonsalves. "Seriously, Top Gun: Maverick might have saved the entire theatrical industry."

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'Top Gun: Maverick': Tom Cruise Says Reuniting With Val Kilmer Was an "Emotional" Experience

"He’s such a brilliant actor, and I love his work."

With a multitude of touching and nostalgic callbacks combined with a new thrilling story centered around family and redemption, Joseph Kosinski ’s Top Gun: Maverick soared far beyond audiences’ expectations . It’s no secret that one of the most emotional reunions was between Tom Cruise ’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and Val Kilmer ’s Tom “Iceman” Kazansky. Initially rivals in the original 1986 film, Maverick revealed that the duo’s one-time rivalry had grown into a deep friendship over the years with Kazansky oftentimes putting his neck on the line for the still risk-taking Mitchell.

During a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Cruise revealed that what audiences saw play out between the two actors on screen was very real as the reunion between him and longtime friend Kilmer, was “pretty emotional” for both parties. “I’ve known Val for decades,” Cruise said, adding that he was so happy that the “powerful actor” signed on to step back into his iconic role of Iceman for the long-coming sequel. Speaking about his pal’s acting chops, the Mission: Impossible star said that “[Kilmer] instantly became that character again. You’re looking at Iceman… He’s such a brilliant actor, and I love his work.” Recalling their time reuniting all these years later, Cruise said, “I was crying, I got emotional.” And he certainly wasn’t alone as the duo’s scenes didn’t leave a dry eye in the cinema.

Picking up decades after we first revved our engines and sped down the highway to the danger zone, Maverick follows Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Cruise), who still holds the title of Captain and test pilot even though the rest of his TOPGUN class (including Kilmer’s Admiral Kazansky) have zoomed on to more powerful positions. On Kazansky’s recommendation, Mitchell is sent to the training school to lead a group of new recruits on an incredibly dangerous mission. It’s here that he comes face-to-face with more than one ghost from his past as Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw ( Miles Teller ), the son of his late friend LTJG Nick “Goose” Bradshaw ( Anthony Edwards ), is one of the pilots now under his wing. The duo will need to work through their bad blood if Bradshaw has any hopes of surviving the difficult mission alongside his fellow recruits.

RELATED: Jimmy Kimmel Channels 'Top Gun: Maverick' in First Oscars 2023 Trailer

'Top Gun: Maverick' Has Been a Critics' Darling Since Release

Praised by eager fans, critics , and even Steven Spielberg , Maverick was a shoo-in for awards season , landing six nominations, including Best Picture at the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony , and nabbing four BAFTAs and two Golden Globe Award nominations. Also starring in the summer blockbuster are Jennifer Connelly , Glen Powell , Jon Hamm , Lewis Pullman , Monica Barbaro , Danny Ramirez , Ed Harris , Greg Tarzan Davis , Charles Parnell , Bashir Salahuddin , and Jay Ellis .

Currently streaming on Paramount+ , you can check out the action of Top Gun: Maverick from the at-home comfort of your couch. Check out Cruise’s full Jimmy Kimmel Live! interview below.

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Tom Cruise Admits To Tears When Working Once Again With Val Kilmer On ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

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Even combat veterans can cry.

After more than three decades, Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer reunited on-screen in Top Gun: Maverick, the long-awaited sequel to the 1986 Top Gun movie.

“I just want to say that was pretty emotional, I’ve known Val for decades,” Cruise said during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Liv e!” (segment starts at 9:56 above).

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Cruise admitted he was in tears.

Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015 and has been limited in work ever since because of a tracheostomy.

Later in the Kimmel interview, Cruise said he has enjoyed seeing his friends and colleagues again after the pandemic years of isolation.

“[With] COVID… I haven’t been able to see my friends for many, many years.”

Kimmel noted that Cruise evoked emotions in his colleagues that are reserved only for meeting the likes of Santa Claus and perhaps Oprah Winfrey, trotting out some two-shot pictures of delighted famous actors with Cruise.

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The Sweet Story Behind How Tom Cruise ‘Rallied’ To Get Val Kilmer Back For Top Gun’s Sequel

Once a wingman, always a wingman.

Top Gun : Maverick has carried a bunch of questions on its back since first being announced. One of the most important, and most powerful, was whether or not the sequel to one of Val Kilmer’s best movies would see him reprise the role of Iceman. We’ve known for some time that yes, Tom Kazansky will be back. However, what we didn’t know was the sweet story of how hard Tom Cruise rallied behind his return. 

Cruise himself laid it out during the world premiere for Top Gun: Maverick in San Diego. As he spoke with ET at the event, the man himself folded some information from the past to bolster his case for including Kilmer in this next chapter. Just as he had Val’s back in 1986, Tom Cruise had his back in the present day for the following reasons: 

In the first one, I really rallied hard for him to be in the movie, because he's such a tremendous actor, and [I wanted] to have him play that character. … You see that [Top Gun: Maverick] scene and it's very special. It's just very special. He's beautiful.

Inverting from enemies at the academy to brothers forged in battle, Captain Pete Mitchell and now Vice Admiral Tom Kasansky had quite the history in Top Gun . The same could be said for the actor’s themselves, especially when Val Kilmer initially hated the idea of the film's plot . After being convinced to enlist alongside Anthony Edwards, Tim Robbins , and other fresh faced aviators in the cast, Kilmer found himself ready to jump back in when it finally came time to make the sequel.

Another party who totally understood Tom Cruise’s fight to get Kilmer back for Top Gun: Maverick was producing legend Jerry Bruckheimer. A vital player in the Top Gun ecosystem, Bruckheimer has previously noted Cruise’s adamance when it came to this matter. Most recently, that story was told again during a luncheon that CinemaBlend had attended at 2022’s CinemaCon , with Jerry Bruckheimer further confirming his lead actor's dedication as follows:

It was the story Tom wanted to tell. Val felt comfortable doing it; it was very emotional filming. We knew Val from the beginning when he was a very young actor. And to see him even today and to see that he’s still working on acting and he’s got this great spirit, so helpful and just terrific filming. Obviously, he’s compromised, but still an amazing actor, an amazing individual and we’re so thrilled to bring him back in this way. Tom was so gracious; Tom actually said, ‘I’m not making this movie unless Val’s in it.’ So that was gracious of Tom.

That dedication, for better or worse, is part of what Tom Cruise brings to the table. It can fire musical artists to pave the way for Lady Gaga and her barnstorming vocals, and it can also bring old friends back for another ride. That being said, I’m even more afraid we’ll be seeing Val Kilmer ’s Iceman laid to rest, as the remarks above specifically limit his appearance to “one scene.” 

Having Val Kilmer back as Iceman has been long touted as a huge moment for this Tom Cruise sequel, and that's part of why his presence was fought for to begin with. There’s very few reasons Maverick would shed like the ones we saw in the trailer for Top Gun: Maverick . Losing his wingman definitely counts as one of them, and those tears won't only be on the screen if this happens to be true.

It won’t be long until the truth is revealed, as May 27th is the day of speed for Top Gun: Maverick to head into the danger zone of theaters all over. In the meantime, the upcoming movies of 2022 are waiting for anyone who’ll check them out. Don’t worry about that list going anywhere, because these titles will be your wingman any time. However, if you’re a Netflix subscriber, you have until the end of May to revisit Top Gun , before it loses its spot in the pattern. 

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Tom Cruise opens up about his ‘very special’ reunion with Val Kilmer in Top Gun: Maverick

‘[kilmer] is an actor that i greatly admire, so it was wonderful,’ cruise said, article bookmarked.

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Tom Cruise has opened up about his reunion with Val Kilmer in Top Gun: Maverick , years after their respective characters’ conflict turned into friendship in the original film.

The new action movie sees Cruise as the Navy’s top pilot, who must confront the ghosts of his past. It is a direct sequel to the original 1986 movie, for which Kilmer was cast as Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky.

During an interview with Metro on Thursday 19 May, when Cruise was asked about his reunion with Kilmer, he said: “It was lovely. The whole experience, you know, 36 years to make this film.

“There were so many moments in making it that were very special, incredibly unique.

“[Kilmer] is an actor that I greatly admire, so it was wonderful.”

Earlier this month, Cruise spoke about Kilmer with Entertainment Tonight as well, sharing how “very special” it was to work with him again in the sequel.

Cruise revealed that he “rallied hard” to get Val into the first action movie.

“The first one, I really rallied hard for him to make the movie,” Cruise said of Kilmer.

He also discussed a powerful scene in the new film, commenting: “The kind of talent that [Val] has, and you see that scene [in the new film], it’s very special, it’s just very special.”

While the extent of Kilmer’s role is being kept under wraps, some fans believe his character could appear as a high-ranking military official in the film.

Recently, Top Gun: Maverick producer Jerry Bruckheimer also said Cruise insisted that Kilmer be a part of Top Gun: Maverick.

“We all wanted him (Kilmer), but Tom was really adamant that if he’s going to make another Top Gun, Val had to be in it,” Bruckheimer told People magazine.

Kilmer reprised the role of Iceman – the foe-turned-wingman of Cruise’s character Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchel – years after he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and lost his voice after undergoing treatment.

Top Gun: Maverick is set to release in the US on 19 November.

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Tom Cruise Gets Sweet 60th Birthday Message from 'Top Gun' Costar Val Kilmer: 'Happy Birthday Mav'

Tom Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick costars Val Kilmer and Glen Powell raised a virtual toast to Cruise in honor of his milestone 60th birthday over the weekend

Tom Cruise rang in his 60th birthday with a special birthday wish from his best wingman.

Val Kilmer — who starred as Top "Iceman" Kazansky to Cruise's Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in 1986's Top Gun and reprised his role in the recently released Top Gun: Maverick — posted a sweet message to Cruise on Sunday as the actor celebrated his latest age milestone.

"Happy Birthday Mav @TomCruise from Ice!" tweeted Kilmer, 62, referencing their iconic characters' call signs.

Among Cruise's other Maverick costars to wish him many happy returns on social media was Glen Powell , who shared a snapshot of the daredevil actor hanging off the side of a plane .

"This is 60," wrote Powell, 33. "TC, there is just no one like you. Keep hangin' in there. Happy Birthday! ⁦ @TomCruise ."

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True to his love of action, Cruise himself spent part of his birthday weekend in attendance at the British F1 Grand Prix on Sunday.

The actor was seen flashing a big smile while greeting fans and rubbing shoulders with other VIP attendees.

Other familiar faces in attendance at the event included Gordon Ramsay , Geri Halliwell and Lewis Hamilton .

RELATED VIDEO: Top Gun: Maverick Stars Tom Cruise , Jon Hamm, Miles Teller and More on Filming the "Love Letter to Aviation"

Meanwhile, Top Gun: Maverick passed the $1 billion mark at the global box office over the weekend of June 25, according to Variety . It became the first of Cruise's films to reach the rare milestone, with his next-highest global earner being 2018's Mission: Impossible – Fallout , which made $791.1 million.

Cruise was thrilled to have Kilmer return for the sequel. "I've always admired his work, his talent," Cruise told PEOPLE in May, adding, "We get together ... we just start laughing. It was special to have him back. It meant a lot to me."

For Kilmer, becoming Iceman once again was "like being reunited with a long-lost friend." Even after more than 30 years, he told PEOPLE, "the characters never really go away. They live on in deep freeze. If you'll pardon the pun."

Top Gun: Maverick is now playing in theaters.

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Tom Cruise  is celebrating his birthday with fans!

The  Mission Impossible  actor rang in the big 6-1 at the  Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One  premiere in Sydney, Australia, with some of the film's stars and a bevy of excited Australian fans by his side.

"It was great to spend my birthday with fans today. Thanks for coming out to the premiere!" Cruise captioned the tweet on Monday, which featured photos from the red carpet, a fireworks show and pics of the actor signing autographs for fans.

While it's no secret that Cruise has a mega fanbase, ET is helping celebrate his 61st birthday by looking at the action star's inner circle, which includes the likes of other A-list actors such as  Will Smith , Val Kimer and more.

Cruise and Smith's friendship dates back to the early aughts, with Cruise even surprising Smith at this hand and footprint ceremony at Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theater in 2007.

"He's truly an exceptional, exceptional human being," Cruise told ET of the  King Richard  actor.

"Wherever Will Smith is, that's where the party is," he added. "Everybody knows that. When I was doing  Born   on the Fourth of July , his music got me through that picture."

The pair has even engaged in some friendly competition over the years, with Smith noting in Mark Manson's book,  Boom , "I started quietly monitoring all of Tom's global promotional activities, and I vowed to do two hours more than whatever he did in every country."

They've worked together as well, with Cruise doing some uncredited work on the Smith-led  I am Legend  that same year.

"He's read five drafts of the script, sent me notes. We are committed to helping each other be able to be the best that we can be," Smith told ET at the time.

Jerry Bruckheimer

In addition to working together on  Top Gun , Cruise has a close relationship with the famed producer. First collaborating on the original film in 1986, the pair teamed up again 36 years later for the Oscar-winning sequel, Top Gun: Maverick .

"Great actor. Great partner. If you're in a foxhole, you want Tom Cruise next to," Bruckheimer told ET 2016.

The award-winning producer said of Cruise's character, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, "It's an iconic character that he helped create."

As for what took the film so long? Both Bruckheimer and Cruise said that it had to be "perfect" before bringing back the beloved story to fans.

"He's the hardest working actor I've ever worked with," Bruckheimer added in 2021.

Cruise and Kilmer developed their friendship on the  Top Gun  set, with Kilmer starring as Tom Kazansky, a top naval aviator and Mitchell's rival turned friend in the film. Their friendship stood the test of time, with Cruise including Kilmer in the sequel amid ongoing issues with his voice following a battle with throat cancer. The reunion was an emotional one, with the producers using AI to help bring Kilmer's voice back for the short cameo.

"You see that scene, it's very special," Cruise told ET during the film's premiere in 2022. "The first one, I really rallied hard for him. I was like, 'Val, you gotta make this movie. You're gonna be amazing.'"

As for Kilmer, he told ET back in 2020 that his memories with Cruise were "filled with laughter," adding that while filming the original, the pair "laughed all day long."

Dakota Fanning

Cruise remained close with his  War of the Worlds  daughter after he and Dakota Fanning starred in the film together in 2005. 

"He has sent me a birthday gift every year since I was 11 years old. It's usually shoes," Fanning said on a  Watch What Happens Live  appearance. 

He also has kept a relationship with the film's director, Steven Spielberg , who had some kind words for the actor during the Oscars luncheon in February.

"You saved Hollywood, and you might have saved theatrical distribution," the Academy Award-winning director said of Cruise getting fans back to movie theaters following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other members of Cruise's circle include Tom Hanks , Kirsten Dunst, Jimmy Fallon and Rosie O'Donnell, who have all been recipients of the actor's famed white chocolate-covered coconut Bundt cake.

His  Mission Impossible  co-stars have gotten a taste of it too, with Henry Cavill telling ET, "It was the most decadent, the most amazing cake."

Angela Bassett  added, "I literally ate the entire cake except for one slice."

As for Simon Pegg, he said the cake was so good he couldn't wait for a fork, eating it with his fist instead.

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The rivalry between Pete "Maverick" Mitchell and Tom "Iceman" Kazansky in Top Gun was rumored to also be the case off-screen with Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, but is there any truth to do these claims? Directed by Tony Scott, the 1986 action film focused on the U.S. Navy's Fighter Weapons School at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California dubbed TOPGUN and its skilled pilot trainees. That included Maverick and Iceman who were rivals, both wanting to emerge at the top of their batch. 

Throughout Top Gun , the pair would engage in various kinds of contests — from actual training to a session of beach volleyball. Iceman and Maverick also liked poking fun at each other to establish their dominance. Despite the intense competition between the pair, their rivalry never became personal. In fact, by the time Maverick tragically lost his RIO, Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards) in a freak accident, Iceman dialed down his cockiness in respect to what happened. By the end of the film, they developed a newfound respect for each other, with Kazansky even becoming Mitchell's wingman. It remains to be seen how Kilmer's Iceman will factor into Top Gun: Maverick , and whether or not the rivalry to be the best has continued.

Related:  How One Of Top Gun's Most Famous Stunts Caused A Panic In San Diego

Iceman and Maverick's fictional rivalry in Top Gun , however, was rumored to spill into real life. Kilmer and Cruise have long been speculated to not get along. In his new Amazon documentary, Val , the actor finally clarifies these persistent claims surrounding the real status of his relationship with his co-star. Fresh from acting school at Juilliard and essentially forced to do Top Gun , Kilmer reveals that he did try to bring some of his method acting while working on the Scott-directed flick. He says that he "would purposely play up the rivalry between Tom’s character and mine off screen as well.” This understandably made Cruise and  Edwards uncomfortable, to the point that they started keeping their distance from Kilmer and his crew once the cameras stopped rolling. 

Despite this, however, Kilmer maintains that he and Maverick actor Tom Cruise have always been friends and supportive of each other. He didn't get into specifics about their relationship, but the fact that he scored a role in Top Gun: Maverick after reaching out to its star and producer could be a good indication that there's no bad blood between them. Kilmer previously said that "Cruise couldn't have been cooler" about the idea of bringing Iceman back for the Joseph Kosinski-directed sequel. He then added that they "took up where we left off" and that " the reunion felt great .” It's still unclear what Kazansky's role in the Top Gun follow-up will be. Plot details are strictly under wraps, with still no sighting of Iceman in any of the trailers thus far. 

With the rumors of Kilmer and Cruise's real-life feud on the set of Top Gun now officially squashed, people can focus on their impending reunion on-screen as  Iceman and Maverick in Top Gun: Maverick . There's barely anything known about what happened to the characters after the original 1986 film. But considering that they became friends following their graduation at TOPGUN, it's not outside the realm of possibility that they've also maintained their friendship more than three decades since they first met.

More:  One Of Top Gun's Best Lines Was Ad-Libbed By Val Kilmer

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• ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Needed Iceman. And Val Kilmer Needed Tom Cruise.

Kilmer’s inclusion in the blockbuster sequel shows that the franchise’s primary rivals are affected by something much stronger than g-forces these days: time.

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With all its roaring rumbles, booming blasts, and wild whooshes, Top Gun: Maverick is a movie with the volume turned up so high you can feel it. And yet it is perhaps the film’s lowest-decibel scene that comes in particularly loud and clear. There is no volleyball game or dogfighting involved when two old Naval contemporaries—a decorated admiral nicknamed Iceman and a maverick called Maverick—get together at a Southern California manse about a third of the way through the new blockbuster sequel. There is also scant trace of the iconic top-dog cockiness that first distinguished both pilots, played by Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise, respectively, in the original 1986 Top Gun film.

Instead, this scene begins with a hushed conversation between Maverick and Iceman’s wife, in which she prepares him to see her husband who’s suffering from an unnamed condition. “Even speaking is painful,” she says. “It’s come back?” Maverick asks, helplessly. She responds, “There’s nothing else we can do.”

Soon after, Maverick enters Iceman’s office and asks, “How’s my wingman?” with a forced sunniness that only illuminates his fear. The three words hang in the air, ringing with decades of shared history, but Iceman, who is wearing a thick scarf and typing his words into a computer, isn’t there for pleasantries or nostalgia. His intent quickly flashes up on the monitor: I WANT TO TALK ABOUT WORK.

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Iceman has an objective, and that is convincing one of the Navy’s biggest rogues (and a man for whom he has repeatedly and recently professionally vouched) to grow up and become a teacher, a leader, of women and men. Of course, it isn’t quite so simple: Maverick is being asked to prepare these young guns for what could very well be a deadly mission. What’s more, one of them is Miles Teller’s stubborn Rooster, the son of Maverick’s late, great flight partner Goose and a guy whose Naval career Maverick previously attempted to sabotage in hopes of keeping his dead friend’s kid out of harm’s way.

“If I send him on this mission he might never come home,” Maverick explains. “If I don’t send him he’ll never forgive me. Either way I could lose him forever.”

Iceman types silently: IT’S TIME TO LET GO.

This is extremely blanket advice, in much the same way that “Christ, what an asshole!” works as a universal caption for every New Yorker cartoon, or that psychics convince you they’re legit by saying things like: “I’m sensing that you are currently trying to make a decision in your life.” Most people out there have things they need to let go of—grudges, preconceived notions, old loves, new vices, that one concert T-shirt. Yet in the film, it is the very advice Maverick sorely needs. He may be a pilot still capable of withstanding crushing forces of gravity at unfathomable speeds, but it is getting more and more difficult for him to out-motorcycle the jetwash of his past. Iceman may not be able to talk out loud the way he once used to, but he also knows he’s one of the only voices that Maverick truly hears.

This quiet interaction—and the clear emotion displayed by two men who previously communicated with one another mostly via scoffs and sneers—enhances both the individual stories of the two characters and hints at a long, rich connection between them. But the scene also underscores that Top Gun: Maverick ’s two OG characters represent something else now, something bigger and more powerful than themselves: They are agents of time, that ultimate g-force.

In summer 2013, Val Kilmer went on Larry King Live to talk about a variety of topics—his son’s first kiss, being Betty White’s sole hater, and working alongside Cruise on Top Gun . “I didn’t like him,” Kilmer said. “But it was fun not to like him.” That tension made things fun for audiences, too: Kilmer channeled those IRL feelings into his idiosyncratic teeth-snapping performance as Iceman, while Cruise reciprocated that dislike with toothy relish. Together they produced one of the great rivalries in movie history: stubborn, sweaty, and silly all at once.

In the original Top Gun , Iceman and Maverick spend 110 minutes rolling their eyes, lowering their aviators, and sizing one another up from across a humid locker room, bathing in the narcissism of small differences. The men glisten and glower and smirk; they palm volleyballs in a threatening manner; and they call each other out, with or without punctuating chomps . They are competitors and colleagues. They jockey for position and prestige until the very end. When they do come to an eventual climactic détente, with Iceman finally hollering, “You’re still dangerous … but you can be my wingman anytime,” Maverick’s first word in response is a merry “bullshit.” Old habits, like elite fighter pilots, are hard to break.

In the decades following the release of Top Gun , Maverick and Iceman became shorthand for alpha-male headbutting, and also for grudging respect. In Hot Shots! , the satirical 1991 parody based loosely around Top Gun , a pair of Maverick- and Iceman-esque characters constantly bicker and even stick out their tongues; when they are forced to shake hands, they do so with such swagger and machismo that their appendages begin smoking . In 1994, Quentin Tarantino made a cameo in the indie film Sleep With Me that featured a hectic monologue in which he theorizes about Top Gun ’s famous homoerotic undertones. “They’re all hugging and kissing and happy with each other,” his character rambles, “and Ice comes up to Maverick, and he says, ‘Man, you can ride my tail anytime!’” (Narrator: This is not what Ice says.) In 2000’s Meet the Parents , Greg Focker had to endure the indignity of his girlfriend and her ex calling one another Maverick and Iceman during a pool volleyball game ; and in a 2006 ad for Bud Light, a different interpretation of the wingman was hailed for “taking one for the team/so your buddy can live the dream.”

In Top Gun: Maverick , however, things are a little bit different. Both Maverick and Iceman have graduated to being the adults in the room—though one has done so in a more by-the-book manner than the other. And they are juxtaposed against a whole new generation: Rooster is Goose’s child, while Hangman, a new character played by Glen Powell, feels like an evolutionary amalgam of both Iceman (the blond hair; the antagonism) and Maverick (the need for speed).

When Maverick stands in front of his pilot pupils and tells them that “time is your greatest enemy,” he is talking about the particulars of their upcoming mission, but he is also talking about himself. When Iceman tells Maverick that IT’S TIME TO LET GO, he is talking about Rooster, but he is also taking stock of his own fading existence. The irony in that conversation, though, is that if either of its actors had taken Iceman’s advice in real life, the scene—and maybe even the sequel—might not exist.

If the men and women selected for the Top Gun naval unit represent, as the first movie says, “the top 1 percent of all naval aviators,” Cruise and Kilmer are definitely part of the top 1 percent (of the top 1 percent) of all navel-gazing actors. Cruise’s trajectory from smiley heartthrob to Scientology synecdoche to headstrong stuntman is well-documented , while Kilmer, buoyed by Top Gun , was at one point a major enough Hollywood entity to don the Batsuit. “Tom is a comrade I respect and admire,” Kilmer wrote in his 2020 memoir, I’m Your Huckleberry , “though as creatures we hail from galaxies far, far away from one another.”

Not long after that 2013 Larry King interview, as Kilmer was in the midst of touring a one-man show he had written about Mark Twain, he was diagnosed with throat cancer. (His long-ago former girlfriend, Cher, was instrumental in ensuring he got appropriate care.) Multiple surgeries left him able to speak only by plugging a tracheostomy tube in his throat, which he often drapes over with scarves, just as his character does in Top Gun: Maverick . After withdrawing for a time from the public eye, Kilmer emerged with both his 2020 book and an autobiographical 2021 Amazon Prime documentary called Val that included ruminations on his health history and countless hours of his own self-shot archival footage dating back to when he was a kid .

A Juilliard-educated actor-nerd who loved capturing his own home videos, Kilmer frequently busted out his latest and greatest camera equipment while hanging around on set or backstage, to varying degrees of disinterest from his costars. At one point in Val , a baby-faced Kevin Bacon shrinks from the camera and says, “That’s real cool, Val,” in the same tone of voice one might use upon encountering, like, a wearer of Snapchat glasses in the wild. In another scene, Kilmer talks about his complete lack of enthusiasm for the role of Iceman at first. “On the page, there was little to the character,” he says.

But decades later, when Kilmer caught wind of a Top Gun sequel in the works, he had no such reservations, knowing immediately that he wanted in, no matter how. “It didn’t matter that the producers didn’t contact me,” Kilmer writes in I‘m Your Huckleberry . “As the Temptations sang in the heyday of Motown soul, ‘Ain’t too proud to beg.’”

The Top Gun: Maverick sequel was, for many years, Cruise’s passion project, his child, his proof of concept for the thesis that what he can do better and more obsessively than just about anyone is make movies , baby, for the big screen . Cruise, who fell in love with flying during the original Top Gun , insisted on not only being behind the controls of supersonic planes this time around (and on devising the vomitous training regimen for his younger costars himself). He also insisted that there was a place for Kilmer in the project. For all the high-flying physical stunts he knew he could pull, Cruise also knew the importance of being emotionally grounded. “I really rallied hard,” Cruise told Entertainment Tonight about casting Kilmer. “Tom was really adamant that if he’s going to make another Top Gun , Val had to be in it,” producer Jerry Bruckheimer told People . In Maverick , it is Iceman’s character who has pulled strings to keep Maverick employed and engaged. In real life, it was the reverse.

Maybe it’s because there are multiple multiverse movies out there at the moment, but there is something about the reunion between Maverick and Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick that feels satisfyingly inescapable, as if the two men were fated to reconvene in some manner, somewhere and somehow, no matter which combination of zigs and zags and bobs and weaves they pulled off along the way. Maybe in some other dimension Maverick is the dying admiral and Iceman becomes the loose cannon; maybe in another simulation they are civilian neighbors in the suburbs menacing one another over a lawn mower.

In this life, both the real one and the meta one being referenced on the Top Gun: Maverick screen, Iceman and Maverick and Kilmer and Cruise are linked in a way that no one else could ever really understand, and they have a loyalty to one another that doesn’t need to be explained. It’s not the kind of thing that’s easy to let go, even if it might be time to.

But that doesn’t mean they can’t also move on. When Powell, who plays the dart-throwing, toothpick-gnawing, speed-limit-ignoring Hangman, was feeling indecisive about whether to join the cast of Top Gun: Maverick , Cruise shared with him a basic vision of what the movie should be. “I remember Tom giving me some advice, or him kind of thinking out loud to a degree,” Powell said in an interview with Indiewire last week. “He said, ‘Look, the first movie was a coming-of-age story. This is a man-facing-his-age story.’” Facing one’s age is easier to do if you don’t get distracted by all the paths you didn’t take to get there.

Near the end of the scene between Iceman and Maverick, Kilmer’s character stops typing and starts speaking. His words are staccato and gruff. He sounds a little bit like he’s communicating over a radio—and his message is similarly urgent and concise. “The Navy needs Maverick,” Iceman says slowly; it literally pains him to say this to his old rival, which is why he knows it’s so important that he does. “The kid needs Maverick. That’s why I fought for you. That’s why you’re still here.” Likewise, Top Gun: Maverick needed Iceman to properly land, and Cruise needed to fight for Kilmer to make it happen. The two old comrades may have hailed from different galaxies, but they shared a common objective and together accomplished their mission. Really, would you expect anything less?

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Val Kilmer Reveals His True Feelings About Working With Tom Cruise On Top Gun

Released in the summer of 1986, "Top Gun" is a classic for many reasons, not the least of which is how it launched Tom Cruise's acting career into the stratosphere. Directed by Tony Scott, and produced by action maestros Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, "Top Gun" — which follows an intensely competitive Naval aviation program in the midst of a U.S. conflict with Russia — boasted a hit soundtrack, intense action, and heartbreaking stories of love and loss.

Best of all, Cruise was surrounded by a roster of bright young stars on the rise, including "Revenge of the Nerds" breakout Anthony Edwards, as well as then-relative unknowns including Meg Ryan, Tim Robbins, and Broadway-turned-film actor Val Kilmer . Unlike the other performers, though, Kilmer has been plagued by stories of animosity between himself and Cruise in the three-and-a-half decades since the film's release.

Kilmer attempts to clear up some of those misconceptions in his new Amazon Prime Video documentary, "Val," which chronicles the actor's career and personal struggles, including throat cancer, which has greatly diminished his capacity to speak, per Military . And while the acclaimed "Tombstone," "The Doors," and "Batman Forever" star is often featured speaking with a low, gravely tone though the aid of a hole in his neck and an artificial breathing tube, the documentary is largely narrated by his son, Jack Kilmer, who sounds like the younger version of his father.

Method acting divided the actors into two different camps on Top Gun, Val Kilmer says

Kilmer believes the stories of indifference between he and Cruise might have stemmed from the dedicated approach each took. Cruise's character, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, was striving to follow in the footsteps of his late fighter-pilot father. Kilmer said Cruise's dedication was just as intense off-set. Kilmer, meanwhile, invented a backstory of paternal neglect to help him inform Iceman's cold demeanor.

"On the page, there was very little to the character Iceman, so I tended to make him real," Kilmer explained. "I manifested a backstory for him, where he had a father who ignored him, and as a result, I was driven by a need to be perfect in every way. This obsession with perfection is what made him so arrogant."

Kilmer added that the tension between he and Cruise was merely an extension of what was going on in the film.

"I would purposefully play up the rivalry between Tom's character and mine off-screen as well," Kilmer said in the documentary. "And what ended up happening is the actors in true method fashion, split into two distinct camps. You had Maverick and Goose (Anthony Edwards) on one side, and Slider (Rick Rossovich), Hollywood (Whip Hubley), Wolfman [Barry Tubb], and me, Iceman, on the other."

As for any lasting effects of the rivalry, Kilmer revealed in "Val" that they are non-existent: "It was fun to play up the conflict between our characters, but in reality, I've always thought of Tom as a friend and we've always supported each other."

Val Kilmer says Tom Cruise reached the huge goal he set out to conquer on Top Gun

Kilmer also addressed the stories of the tension in his 2020 memoir,  "I'm Your Huckleberry"  — a title taken from the famous line spoken by his famed gunslinger character, Doc Holliday, in the acclaimed Western "Tombstone."  As it turns out, there was no real fellowship off-set between the actors, let alone any other of the cast members, because it was evident to Kilmer that Cruise was pursuing something far greater than just accolades for his work on "Top Gun."

"Tom refrained from our revelry, with good reason. From day one, he was laser-focused on a singular goal: to become the greatest action hero in the history of film," Kilmer wrote. "He was up nights learning his lines; he spent every waking hour perfecting his stunts. His dedication was admirable. Of course, even more admirable is the fact that he achieved his goal."

Much like Kilmer expressed in "Val," the actor had kind sentiments speaking of his "Top Gun" co-star in "I'm Your Huckleberry" — albeit in a "Star Wars" sort of way.

"Tom is a comrade I respect and admire, though as creatures we hail from galaxies far, far away from one another," Kilmer wrote.

After years in development, the stars have once again aligned for Cruise and Kilmer, who are set to reprise their legendary roles as Maverick and Iceman in the hotly anticipated sequel "Top Gun: Maverick,"  set for a November 2021 release. 

• Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer: A Friendship That Goes Beyond the Screen

Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise have been friends for a long time, and their on-screen reunion has caught the attention of fans. Despite the fact that their characters in Top Gun had a rocky start, in real life, the two actors have always been supportive of each other.

Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise have been friends for a long time, and their on-screen reunion has caught the attention of fans. Despite the fact that their characters in Top Gun had a rocky start, in real life, the two actors have always been supportive of each other. Kilmer has stated that he considers Cruise a true friend, and that they share intimate stories and challenges about their different lifestyles. Cruise has also proven to be a great support for Kilmer during his courageous battle with cancer in recent years.

Kilmer has said that it was fun to portray the conflict between their characters, but that there are no bad feelings between them. He also mentioned that they were like school children on set, and that he always thought of Cruise as a friend. It's clear that the friendship between Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer goes beyond the screen. They have been friends for a long time, and their bond is strong enough to overcome any challenge.

Their friendship is an example of how two people can come together despite their differences and support each other in times of need.

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Tom Cruise fought for 'wingman' Val Kilmer to star in Top Gun sequel after his battle with cancer

20 May 2022, 16:47

By Thomas Curtis-Horsfall

Top Gun's two male leads didn't always get on.

Listen to this article

And that both applies to their on-screen friction, as well as their notoriously distanced working relationship off-screen.

Their friendship got off to a rocky start as Val Kilmer embraced Iceman's disliking of Maverick, which rubbed off on the way he acted in the movie's lead role and his colleague Tom Cruise .

But much like the plot to the original Top Gun movie, they buried the hatchet and eventually became each other's 'wingman'.

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With the impending release of the long-overdue sequel Top Gun: Maverick , the film's producer has revealed that Tom and Val's long-standing friendship even affected the outcome of the new movie.

Given Kilmer's brave battle with illness in recent years, Tom Cruise proved he was the brother in arms he needed.

After fighting for Val to rekindle his role of Iceman for the new film, the character's touching reunion has even been called one of the film's most "beautiful" scenes.

Just as he had Val's back in 1986, Cruise revealed on the red carpet during the world premiere of Top Gun: Maverick in San Diego that he did the same this time around.

"In the first one, I really rallied hard for him to be in the movie, because he's such a tremendous actor, and [I wanted] to have him play that character."

"You see that [ Top Gun: Maverick ] scene and it's very special. It's just very special. He's beautiful," Tom gushed.

Tom Cruise is vital to Top Gun and the continuation of its story, so producer Jerry Bruckheimer knew it'd be a smart decision to reunite Captain Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell and now Vice Admiral Tom 'Iceman' Kasansky after all these years.

Top Gun: Maverick | NEW Official Trailer (2022 Movie) - Tom Cruise

He recently confirmed the lead actor's conviction in sharing the screen alongside Kilmer once more:

"It was the story Tom wanted to tell. Val felt comfortable doing it; it was very emotional filming. We knew Val from the beginning when he was a very young actor" Bruckheimer said at CinemaCon last month.

"And to see him even today and to see that he’s still working on acting and he’s got this great spirit, so helpful and just terrific filming."

"Obviously, he’s compromised, but still an amazing actor, an amazing individual and we’re so thrilled to bring him back in this way."

"Tom was so gracious" Bruckheimer added. "Tom actually said, ‘I’m not making this movie unless Val’s in it.’ So that was gracious of Tom."

When Bruckheimer said Val Kilmer was "compromised", he was referring to his battle with cancer.

In 2014, Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer and had to undergo emergency surgery after waking up coughing blood and having difficulty breathing.

To combat the disease, the actor had a tracheotomy which was followed by bouts of chemotherapy, which left Kilmer without his voice and scars on his neck which he hides.

With his Hollywood at a standstill, he was also in the midst of financial troubles, so his ex-girlfriend Cher reportedly paid his medical bills and supported him throughout his struggles.

Despite the torrid time Kilmer has had over the past decade, he was still eager to return to the character that started it all for him.

Now his return as 'Iceman' is fully confirmed, fans are worried about his story coming to an end, given he also appears in Top Gun: Maverick in a cameo role.

But with friends like Tom Cruise, at least we'll get to see the iconic wingmen on the silver screen together one last time.

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