Val Kilmer is widely recognized for his role as Batman in Joel Schumacher’s 1995 film, but according to the actor, his biographical film about the rock band The Doors and its frontman Jim Morrison was the role that challenged him as an artist.
His performance in the movie was heavily lauded by fans and critics, although the accuracy was what weighed down the film. Several scenes were disputed, but that goes with any biopic film ever made.
Val Kilmer Reveals His Toughest Movie Role Ever
In a Reddit AMA segment, actor Val Kilmer responded to a fan who asked him the most demanding role he ever did in his career, stating Oliver Stone’s 1991 biopic The Doors.
I suppose the Doors. Jim was suicidal and when you spend over a year rehearsing inside someone’s skin who is so deeply unhappy… it’s tough. Also he just picked the wrong toolbox to make his creations. Booze is a classic dead end. But the poetry was glorious.
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The actor shared that the scene he fought to have in the film was when Jim Morrison was alone in his favorite spots in Los Angeles and “trying to find the right line to finish.” He recalled a term from writer Tennessee Williams called the “click” which was when a person “hit the right amount of booze and everything is all right.”
When enough ingredients go in our feeble bodies to find peace for a little while or eternity. That’s the thing with poetry, when you hit the mark you feel like you’re touching eternity.
He described this process as transferring the thoughts of the mind in the most economical way possible and in a delicate manner that even the author won’t dare tell it to himself, but he choses to publish it for everyone to read.
The role has affected the actor so much that he had to go to therapy because he couldn’t shake off his character. He dressed like Jim Morrison and even learned the singer’s mannerisms, and fans sometimes mistook Kilmer for the band’s lead man. He confirmed it happens more than people could think.
Val Kilmer Also Suffered From Addiction
Like Morrison, Kilmer dealt with addiction. The actor went under tracheostomy to treat his throat cancer, the reason he’s using a voice box now to communicate. He used to smoke and he started the habit when he was still a child, according to The Sun.
He was first diagnosed in 2014 but only admitted it publicly in 2017. While he regretted the habit of smoking, perhaps it was also helpful in embodying Morrison’s character, who was severely addicted to alcohol and drugs.
Despite his illness, Kilmer notably returned to acting when he appeared in Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick in 2022. He revealed he has been healed from cancer, though he still struggles to speak.
The Doors is available to watch on Prime Video.
