The late Val Kilmer went on to land roles in dozens of major films, including Batman Forever, The Doors and Heat.
In 2017, Kilmer confirmed he’d had throat cancer. He opened up about his illness to The Hollywood Reporter, telling the publication he went through chemotherapy treatments. He also underwent a procedure on his trachea that reduced his voice to a rasp and rendered him short of breath.
Despite his health battle, Kilmer continued his acting career. In 2020, he co-starred with his daughter, Mercedes, in the film Paydirt and he did briefly appear in Top Gun: Maverick – something he found “very moving.”
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Kilmer said there wasn’t a dry eye in the room as he filmed his scenes with Tom Cruise.
Maverick and Iceman reunited on-screen in the sequel, albeit briefly, and Iceman communicated to Maverick via typed words as he had throat cancer, like Kilmer did in real life.
He did, however, use his voice to speak to Maverick, something that relied on artificial voice technology in post-production to create as Kilmer used a voice box to speak in real life.
The actor said filming that scene with his long-time friend was “very personal and moving.”
“Tom and I get along really well,” he told the publication. “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!”
Director Joseph Kosinski, however, spoke of how after one of the takes, he noticed how both Cruise and Kilmer had tears in their eyes.
“It felt like a genuine moment between two old friends,” he said.
“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.”
Kilmer died due to complications with pneumonia in early April, 2025.
