Tom Cruise paid tribute to actor Val Kilmer on stage in Las Vegas, three days after his co-star died of pneumonia on April 1 at the age of 65.
According to Variety, at the CinemaCon event on Thursday, Tom Cruise clasped his hands and bowed his head to share with the audience: "I want to honor a dear friend, Val Kilmer. I cannot express enough my admiration for his career, my gratitude and the honor of working with him in Top Gun as well as reuniting with him again in Top Gun: Maverick."
The 62-year-old actor said he felt it was meaningful to join the audience in paying tribute to Val Kilmer at this event because Val loved cinema and had devoted himself to it. "Think of the wonderful times we had with him. Thank you, Val! Good luck on your next journey."
Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer met on the set of Top Gun in the 1980s. They played two fighter pilots, Maverick and Iceman, who were rivals but later fought side by side. Their roles in the classic film helped both become stars. In 2022, they reunited in the second part of the film, Top Gun: Maverick. At that time, Val had difficulty speaking due to chemotherapy, radiation and two tracheostomy procedures to treat cancer, but he still enthusiastically returned to the set with Tom Cruise and brought Iceman back in one of the most emotional scenes in the film. This was also Val Kilmer's final role on screen.
Recalling the scene with Val Kilmer, Tom Cruise said he had to hold back tears. "When he came back and played that role, it was quite emotional. I've known Val for decades. He's such a strong actor that he immediately brought the character back again. You feel the Iceman."
Val Kilmer, who also played Batman in Batman Forever and other action films, died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday of pneumonia. He had been in poor health after suffering side effects from cancer treatment. He was hospitalized earlier this year and last week.
Director Michael Mann, who worked with Kilmer on the 1995 film Heat, paid tribute to the actor: "Working with Val, I was always amazed by his ability to transform himself into a versatile and brilliant character. After years of battling his illness and maintaining his spirit, this is incredibly sad news."
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