When ‘Batman’ Val Kilmer Rejected Tom Cruise’s ‘Top Gun’ & Recalled Being ‘Tortured’ To Meet The Director, “I Didn’t Care About The Film”

Former Batman actor Val Kilmer once shared how he refused to be a part of Tom Cruise's ‘Top Gun’ movie. Read on!

By
Vivek Kumar
- June 10, 2023 | 4:53 PM IST
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Tom Cruise starrer, Top Gun movies, aged like a fine wine. As the first movie was released around three decades ago, the recent sequel proved how amazing the actor is when he is flying the jets. However, there was a time when one of its important cast members, Val Kilmer, said he didn’t want the Top Gun role that made him famous and was “tortured” to audition by his agent.

The 63-year-old star played Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky in the 1986 film alongside the movie’s main star. Even the recently released movie featured their emotional bond on-screen and off-screen. The scene was too much for the actor as he could not control his tears when Maverick sought advice on how to handle his working relationship with his late flying partner Goose’s son Rooster.

While the sequel did fly high at the box office, Val Kilmer did not really want to be a part of the franchise ever since the first film. In his memoir, I’m Your Huckleberry, the Top Gun star admits, “I didn’t want the part. I didn’t care about the film. The story didn’t interest me.” He later revealed that it was his agent, who also worked for Tom Cruise forced him to do the movie. Val went for the test and even tried to self-sabotage the audition by “looking like a fool or the goon”.

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