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RIP Val Kilmer
The movie industry lost a great actor, Val Kilmer.
Kilmer started off with Top Secret, then Real Genius (My personal favorite), Doc Holliday in Tombstone then going skyrocket in fame as Iceman in Top Gun. Playing Jim Morrison in 'The Doors', Even Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman Forever, Along in appearing in 'Heat', 'Willow', 'Island of Doctor Monroe', 'The Saint' and 'Alexander'....with his final film in Top Gun Maverick.
Plus his incredible role as Moses in Prince of Egypt, to me a seriously wonderful film.
Val was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, and it seriously messed up his speech for two years and a double tracheotomies and was forced to use a electric voice box to talk. In Top Gun Maverick, Val's voice was actually used, but digitally altered for clarity.
But on a first hand basis, I got to actually work with Val Kilmer in the movie Tombstone. I was a featured extra on the film, appearing in several scenes , though the Birdcage sequence was my most notable scene. I got to interact with him numerous times, along with the late Bill Paxton and with Kurt Russell. The first time during set up doing the Birdcage scene, while they were placing cameras. I had brought a sketchbook with me and I was sketching Sam Elliot , since he was only a few feet away. And that caught Kurt Russell's attention, who pointed out to Sam I was drawing him. Sam approached me and asked what I was doing. I showed him the sketch. Which he smiled widely and complimented me. I offered the sketch to him, which he cheerfully accepted. And showed it off to Russell and Kilmer since they were seated in a booth. I would later sketch both of them both and gave them the art. And during a thunderstorm at the Mescal film set, many of the actors and extras took shelter in the town bar. There was Val, playing the piano with a classical tune. I was literally leaning on the piano listening to him play when I said "Mr Kilmer, I wasn't aware you are a classical pianist." Kilmer stopped playing the piano and looked at me and said "I don't know who this Kilmer feller you mistake me for is, but my name is Holliday, Doc Holliday!"
I blink and correct myself complimenting Doc's playing. Thats when Kurt Russell approached me and whispered "Val is a method actor, He's Doc Holliday until the make up comes off!" I nod and from that point called him Doc the remainder of the shoot at the Mescal Ranch.
And it was at that location, myself and another extra sat down to have lunch , we sat down to eat when we were joined by Bill Paxton (Who frequently ate with the extras, since thats how he started in Hollywood) Kurt Russell, Sam Elliot, Val Kilmer and Powers Booth sat down at our table to eat , with Sam saying "Hey there Artist!" with him next to me, Kilmer sat across from me and they chowed down and hob knobbed (With Val still as Doc.) The other extra and me sat star struck, but silent listening to them talk. Thats when we saw a three man camera crew filming us as we ate. Neither of us said anything. Once the meal was over, everybody got up to leave, thats when I asked Elliot "Whats with the filming as we ate?" Sam and Bill both said "Oh, thats a Japanese crew filming the production and they suggested we eat with the extras to show comradery." The other extra and I just beamed with pride they chose our table to do that. Paxton on the other hand often preferred eating with the extras and was very open and talkative.
But I'll never forget my time on set filming Tombstone.
On a side note, I chose to feature Kilmer as Doc, because that for me was the most memorable thing about Val with me. Though I'm still tempted to redraw it as Val as Iceman instead. Let me know if thats preferred instead.
I know I'll be watching Prince of Egypt on Easter and toast to Val's memory.
Kilmer started off with Top Secret, then Real Genius (My personal favorite), Doc Holliday in Tombstone then going skyrocket in fame as Iceman in Top Gun. Playing Jim Morrison in 'The Doors', Even Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman Forever, Along in appearing in 'Heat', 'Willow', 'Island of Doctor Monroe', 'The Saint' and 'Alexander'....with his final film in Top Gun Maverick.
Plus his incredible role as Moses in Prince of Egypt, to me a seriously wonderful film.
Val was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, and it seriously messed up his speech for two years and a double tracheotomies and was forced to use a electric voice box to talk. In Top Gun Maverick, Val's voice was actually used, but digitally altered for clarity.
But on a first hand basis, I got to actually work with Val Kilmer in the movie Tombstone. I was a featured extra on the film, appearing in several scenes , though the Birdcage sequence was my most notable scene. I got to interact with him numerous times, along with the late Bill Paxton and with Kurt Russell. The first time during set up doing the Birdcage scene, while they were placing cameras. I had brought a sketchbook with me and I was sketching Sam Elliot , since he was only a few feet away. And that caught Kurt Russell's attention, who pointed out to Sam I was drawing him. Sam approached me and asked what I was doing. I showed him the sketch. Which he smiled widely and complimented me. I offered the sketch to him, which he cheerfully accepted. And showed it off to Russell and Kilmer since they were seated in a booth. I would later sketch both of them both and gave them the art. And during a thunderstorm at the Mescal film set, many of the actors and extras took shelter in the town bar. There was Val, playing the piano with a classical tune. I was literally leaning on the piano listening to him play when I said "Mr Kilmer, I wasn't aware you are a classical pianist." Kilmer stopped playing the piano and looked at me and said "I don't know who this Kilmer feller you mistake me for is, but my name is Holliday, Doc Holliday!"
I blink and correct myself complimenting Doc's playing. Thats when Kurt Russell approached me and whispered "Val is a method actor, He's Doc Holliday until the make up comes off!" I nod and from that point called him Doc the remainder of the shoot at the Mescal Ranch.
And it was at that location, myself and another extra sat down to have lunch , we sat down to eat when we were joined by Bill Paxton (Who frequently ate with the extras, since thats how he started in Hollywood) Kurt Russell, Sam Elliot, Val Kilmer and Powers Booth sat down at our table to eat , with Sam saying "Hey there Artist!" with him next to me, Kilmer sat across from me and they chowed down and hob knobbed (With Val still as Doc.) The other extra and me sat star struck, but silent listening to them talk. Thats when we saw a three man camera crew filming us as we ate. Neither of us said anything. Once the meal was over, everybody got up to leave, thats when I asked Elliot "Whats with the filming as we ate?" Sam and Bill both said "Oh, thats a Japanese crew filming the production and they suggested we eat with the extras to show comradery." The other extra and I just beamed with pride they chose our table to do that. Paxton on the other hand often preferred eating with the extras and was very open and talkative.
But I'll never forget my time on set filming Tombstone.
On a side note, I chose to feature Kilmer as Doc, because that for me was the most memorable thing about Val with me. Though I'm still tempted to redraw it as Val as Iceman instead. Let me know if thats preferred instead.
I know I'll be watching Prince of Egypt on Easter and toast to Val's memory.
Category All / All
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File Size 90.5 kB
Listed in Folders
Great memory there Jim. I think Top Secret was the first one I saw and I can't help but remember https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af9N7UhTMA8
Another one gone far too soon. Requiescat in pace. I may have to head up to Leadville this summer, where there's a bar that Doc Holliday drank at(amazingly still in operation, though unfortunately it's begun the slow slide from 'saloon' to 'sports bar'). Would be a good way to pay my respects to both Kilmer and the man he so famously portrayed.
I had no idea you were in Tombstone. That's a great set of stories, and I'm glad you've shared them. I'm going to have to watch that again sometime soon.
I had no idea you were in Tombstone. That's a great set of stories, and I'm glad you've shared them. I'm going to have to watch that again sometime soon.
https://youtu.be/3GIuogzhsvU?si=ctkvxuNrWrSX2ToC
At the 10 second mark, I'm yanked out of a chair and kicked in the ass. I stand there looking shocked.
At the 10 second mark, I'm yanked out of a chair and kicked in the ass. I stand there looking shocked.
Very interesting story.
When you mentioned "Real Genius" as your favorite, I did smile a little, because it's mine too. I can't say I met and spoke to Val, but I did hear some amazing stories about him from director Martha Coolidge and William Atherton, who played Dr. Jerry Hathaway.
We, several film students and I at USC, were invited to a special premiere screening of "Real Genius", and Martha and William watched with us. At various times Val would come on screen, and Martha would point out areas where he would completely adlib or make outrageous physical comedy moves, and she'd laugh and say, "See, this is Val being Val." She told us that for "Real Genius", she was terrified how Val would do. While he was fair in "Top Secret!", that was of course slapstick mostly, and there would be some drama involved here. This was no Zucker Brothers and Jim Abrams.
So Martha took Val aside and told him to just be Val, to let himself go, to be the eccentric and wild college man Chris Knight, playful, charming, full of energy and psychotic. And that was exactly what Val played - of all his performances, honestly "Real Genius" showed his talent the most to me.
Atherton said it was really difficult to know what Val would do on set, because he was a ticking time bomb. If you watch the movie, you can see traces of apprehension in Atherton's delivery sometimes, a worried look in his eyes, watching Val and wondering what he'd do, because he could never tell if he'd stick to the script or add a little something.
Coolidge still talks about the "popcorn stunt" to this day, and when we saw it actually happening on the screen, she was jumping up in her chair and pointing and shouting about everything they had to do, from permits, to construction, etc. That was a REAL house being destroyed by popcorn. And Atherton looked on, shaking his head and laughing said, "The year before I'm pummeled by shaving cream, (Ghostbusters) now it's popcorn." (though he never was actually hit with it; and he'd say in Slate Magazine later that he still has an irrational screed against it)
Val saw the script for the stunt and asked Martha, "We doing this?!" and his smile lit up the room. "Let's go!"
And that was Val. There is a huge hole in my 1980s icon heart. Val was special, gifted, a treasure, and as others said, not just a loss to Hollywood, but a loss to us all.
When you mentioned "Real Genius" as your favorite, I did smile a little, because it's mine too. I can't say I met and spoke to Val, but I did hear some amazing stories about him from director Martha Coolidge and William Atherton, who played Dr. Jerry Hathaway.
We, several film students and I at USC, were invited to a special premiere screening of "Real Genius", and Martha and William watched with us. At various times Val would come on screen, and Martha would point out areas where he would completely adlib or make outrageous physical comedy moves, and she'd laugh and say, "See, this is Val being Val." She told us that for "Real Genius", she was terrified how Val would do. While he was fair in "Top Secret!", that was of course slapstick mostly, and there would be some drama involved here. This was no Zucker Brothers and Jim Abrams.
So Martha took Val aside and told him to just be Val, to let himself go, to be the eccentric and wild college man Chris Knight, playful, charming, full of energy and psychotic. And that was exactly what Val played - of all his performances, honestly "Real Genius" showed his talent the most to me.
Atherton said it was really difficult to know what Val would do on set, because he was a ticking time bomb. If you watch the movie, you can see traces of apprehension in Atherton's delivery sometimes, a worried look in his eyes, watching Val and wondering what he'd do, because he could never tell if he'd stick to the script or add a little something.
Coolidge still talks about the "popcorn stunt" to this day, and when we saw it actually happening on the screen, she was jumping up in her chair and pointing and shouting about everything they had to do, from permits, to construction, etc. That was a REAL house being destroyed by popcorn. And Atherton looked on, shaking his head and laughing said, "The year before I'm pummeled by shaving cream, (Ghostbusters) now it's popcorn." (though he never was actually hit with it; and he'd say in Slate Magazine later that he still has an irrational screed against it)
Val saw the script for the stunt and asked Martha, "We doing this?!" and his smile lit up the room. "Let's go!"
And that was Val. There is a huge hole in my 1980s icon heart. Val was special, gifted, a treasure, and as others said, not just a loss to Hollywood, but a loss to us all.
https://youtu.be/Us5dEocwWjw?si=b-WfdZwivrswaqSv
Just wanna remind everyone of this one shootout scene from heat, my favourite hollywood gunfight ever.
Just wanna remind everyone of this one shootout scene from heat, my favourite hollywood gunfight ever.
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