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Popular for his role in theTop Gunfilm series as Iceman Val Kilmer has carved a distinctive path throughout his career. He has featured in multiple films and TV shows throughout his acting career and has continued his work even after being diagnosed with throat cancer, which has impacted his health and his ability to speak as well. Despite that, the 63-year-old actor reprised his role in theTop Gunsequel marking his reunion with the action star Tom Cruise.
However, Kilmer initially denied the offer to portray Iceman in the 1986 action flick. And not onlyTop Gun, but he would later also refuse to star alongside Cruise in the 2004 crime thrillerCollateral.
Read More:Val Kilmer Regretted Turning Down $33M Crime Drama With Tom Cruise for Broadway That Sidelined Him From Main Role
Val Kilmer Initially Turned Down the Offer ForTop Gun
In his 2020 memoir,I’m Your Huckleberry,Val Kilmershared that initially, he was not interested in taking Iceman’s part in the 1986 film. The actor shared that the director of the film Tony Scott was eager to meet him, and his agent, who was alsoTom Cruise’sagent at the time, suggested at least meeting Scott.
However, he claimed that he didn’t want the part as he“didn’t care about the film”and“the story didn’t interest [him].” But his agent was able to convince him as Tony Scott was among the“hottest directors”at the time, and considering the director’s enthusiasm toward his project, he also agreed to take the role.
The decision turned out in the actor’s favor as his role inTop Gunpropelled him among the A-list stars of Hollywood. And when he received a call from Tom Cruise to reprise his role in the sequel of the 1986 filmTop Gun: Maverick, he immediately accepted the offer.
TheBatman Foreveractor shared that he enjoyed filming the reunion with the on-screen nemesis in theTop Gunsequel. Not just for their characters, both Cruise and Kilmer were also seen together on-screen over three decades later after the 1986 filmTop Gun. However, the two could have shared the screen years before the 2022 film.
Read More:Tom Cruise-Val Kilmer $1.49 Billion Movie Reunion Movie Felt “Too Cheap” to Quentin Tarantino: “Like Charlie Chaplin dying on stage”
Val Kilmer Almost Starred inCollateral (2004)
Starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx, the 2004 thriller,Collateral,follows a taxi driver, Max, who gets a shock after learning that his passenger is a deadly hitman. The film features Cruise as the hitman Vincent, who is on a mission to assassinate five people in one night.
Variety reported that Val Kilmer was also considered for an undisclosed role in the 2004 film, as it revealed Jada Pinkett Smith’s casting in the movie. However, soon after the initial report, it was revealed that theWillowactor would not join theMission Impossiblestar in the 2004 thriller.
He had to leave the film due to filming schedule conflicts, as he was already busy filming Oliver Stone’s war adventure,Alexander. Reports suggested that Kilmer was only in talks for the role of Detective Fanning in the 2004 film, but he did not officially join the cast of the movie. The part of Detective Fanning later went to the Marvel star Mark Ruffalo.
Read More:Johnny Depp Initially Wanted to Play Marvel Mutant Before Refusing Chris Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy
Source:Looper
Laxmi Rajput
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3448
Laxmi Rajput is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, with over 3,300 articles published covering film, TV, and pop culture. With a degree in Broadcast Journalism and over three years of experience in content writing, she pivoted to entertainment journalism because let’s be honest, superheroes, sitcoms, and Netflix binges are way more fun. Laxmi frequently covers Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and popular TV shows, offering both fan-first enthusiasm and thoughtful analysis. Her work often dives into Marvel theories, revisits the genius of The Big Bang Theory, or unpacks the Netflix phenomenon of Stranger Things.
