From his debut in Top Secret! to Academy Award-winning action flicks like Top Gun, Val Kilmer has garnered an eclectic repertoire of works under his belt. In a career easily spanning four decades, Kilmer – who started his Hollywood journey as a stage actor – has led some evergreen classics, the likes of which include Tim Burton’s campy Batman Forever and the ’80s hit Willow.
But there’s one film – that makes Kilmer’s robust devotion stand out against his role – for which he deserves much more recognition than he’s received, and rightly so.
Val Kilmer Gave This Role His All Despite Not Being Violent
Shepherded by Miami Vice‘s Michael Mann and comprising a star-studded ensemble with A-listers like Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Val Kilmer, Heat is jam-packed with all the great bits you’d want in a movie. Not only did the crime drama make over $187 million at the global box office (it’s a big deal considering this is the ’90s we’re talking about), but it turned out to be a massive critical success as well (via Box Office Mojo).
While Pacino and De Niro’s engrossing performances each amassed high praise, Kilmer, though acknowledged for his iconic role in the heist thriller, deserves much more respect than that for pulling it off as Chris Shiherlis in the film.
Of the band of professional thieves that are at the forefront of Heat, Kilmer’s character is the only one to survive. But if you think the iteration of a mercurial, impetuous, and violent character is a walk in the park, then think again. In an interview with Deadline, the 64-year-old actor remarked how tough it’d been for him to nail the role, especially since he’s the polar opposite of Chris.
I am not familiar with violence. I’ve never hit anyone in my whole Life. Not once. I’ve prevented some fights, but never struck a soul. So Chris was a real Challenge. I had to find the actions which would trigger the impulse to be violent to the point of murder, instantly.
Surprisingly enough, Keanu Reeves almost replaced Kilmer in the crime-action outing after choosing a stage role in Shakespeare’s Hamlet instead. But you know what they say, everything happens for a reason.
The Batman Forever Star Abhors Being Judged By His Roles
It’s almost unavoidable, if not completely inevitable, for actors to escape the fetters of criticism. But perhaps the worst sting is of that flack which stems from audiences’ hatred toward the star’s on-screen character. In the haze of film and fiction, people often tend to forget that actors aren’t the roles they play on the silver screen. And this is something Kilmer too, despises.
In the same conversation with Deadline, when asked about shooting one of the more complicated action sequences in Heat, the Top Gun 2 star revealed how he’s been “judged personally” as his on-screen portrayal of a character more than once.
One gets seduced by drama and the characters and the situation – the essence of why we put up with all the impossible compromises and humiliations and misunderstandings, one of the worst is being judged Personally as the character you’re playing. That’s happened to me on many roles where I played strong unreasonable characters…
Kilmer opined how it was a “daily grind,” being regarded by viewers based on the characters he’s played in films like Thunderheart and The Saint. But, of course, he persevered.
Heat can be rented on Apple TV+.
