It’s difficult to believe Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer‘s touching reunion in Top Gun: Maverick would be the last time Kilmer would grace the silver screen. But the actors’ final reunion was an “emotional” one, according to a resurfaced interview from Cruise on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2023.
Kilmer passed away April 1 from pneumonia at the age of 65. But, just years before his death, he reprised one of his most iconic roles as Adm. Tom “Iceman” Kazansky for Top Gun: Maverick, marking the final time he and Cruise would appear on screen together.
“That was pretty emotional,” Cruise said of the experience on Live. “I’ve known Val for decades, and for him to come back and play that character, he’s such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again. You’re looking at Iceman.”
He admitted, “I was crying. I got emotional. He’s such a brilliant actor, and I love his work.”
The powerful moment shows Cruise’s character, Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, turning to Iceman for advice. “The only reason I’m here is you,” Maverick tells him through tears.
In the scene, Iceman is typing his responses to Maverick as Kilmer underwent a tracheotomy that impacted his speaking voice during a bout with throat cancer.
Kilmer told USA TODAY in 2022 that he “was very moved” when he first watched that scene. “Almost 40 years is a long time for a reunion,” he said. “We laughed all day. Tom is great and surprisingly funny!!” He added that the hug they shared later in the scene came “straight from the heart.”
“I love Tom. We’ve always gotten along great,” he said of his co-star.
Cruise has yet to speak out about Kilmer’s passing. But the official Top Gun X account praised the late actor with a tribute.
“Remembering Val Kilmer, whose indelible cinematic mark spanned genres and generations. RIP Iceman,” they wrote.
Scroll up to watch Cruise talk about that emotional reunion on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
The post Tom Cruise Recounts “Emotional” Reunion With Val Kilmer In ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Before His Death: “Such A Brilliant Actor” appeared first on Decider.
