Things often end up going out of control while filming or reading for intense scenes in a film and Val Kilmer’s The Doors is no stranger to this. The 1991 film was based on the short life of musician Jim Morrison and was titled after his rock band. The film focuses on many elements of the late singer’s life including his experience with hard drugs. The role of the vocalist was played by Val Kilmer and Meg Ryan played his girlfriend, Pamela Courson.
However, before Meg Ryan was cast in the role, another actress read for the part – Caitlin O’Heaney. Unfortunately, things took a wrong turn for the actress who stated that she was punched in the face by Val Kilmer during a reading as the actor took method acting to a whole new level.
Caitlin O’Heaney’s Allegations on Val Kilmer
It was not going to be an easy task to get into the character of Jim Morrison as he led quite a complex life. However, Val Kilmer was hell-bent on doing the musician justice and completely immersed himself in the role. Later, Caitlin O’Heaney, too, got herself an audition for the role of Pamela Courson and things took a wild turn.
In an interview with Buzzfeed, the Tales of the Gold Monkey actress stated that she had received the script a few days prior to the audition and had to do a reading for a scene that involved a verbal argument between Morrison and Courson.
She then recalled how Kilmer, completely in character, allegedly picked her up from the ground, shook her, and threw her down all while director Oliver Stone laughed.
When I got to the room and Val Kilmer picked me up and shaked me, throwing me down to the floor. Stone just stood there the whole time laughing.
O’Heaney also claimed that Kilmer struck her in the face and added that after the audition was done, Stone walked her out of the room saying, “That got kind of wild.” She remembered getting into her car and crying for twenty minutes straight.
A month after the audition, she filed a preliminary police report for battery. The report states,
Vict and susp (actor) were reading a script for a movie role, susp became angry and stuck vict on her face with his closed fist. Susp grabbed vict and pushed her to the floor. Susp jumped on vict + held her down.
Later, the actress ended up settling with both Kilmer and Stone for $24,500, $8,000 of which she got to pocket. The settlement agreement absolved the actor and director from any wrongdoings and also prohibited O’Heaney from talking about the events.
However, after hearing about the brave steps taken by the women who spoke up against Harvey Weinstein and his crimes, O’Heaney found it in herself the courage to tell her side of the story.
Caitlin O’Heaney’s Career Went Downhill After This
O’Heaney confessed to Buzzfeed that after the alleged assault, her career took a downward spiral and even her agent was unable to help her out. She had to return to her home in Wisconsin where she began working for Greenpeace.
She recalled how her agent told her that it was impossible to get her an audition and that no one even wanted to see the actress in the first place.
My agent would call me and say, ‘Absolutely nobody will see you. We can’t even get you a reading or an audition. You’re dead.’
Risa Bramon Garcia, the casting director for The Doors, told the publication that O’Heaney’s reaction was “blown out of proportion” and stated that all the actors were notified beforehand that there would be physical contact during the scene.
She added, “It was a very extreme reaction to a situation that to me was not extreme at all.”
Talking about her settlement, O’Heaney told the publication that she regrets it and that she signed it “against her better judgement” as she was too traumatized by the alleged events. She added that if something like that happened today, she would know better than to sign such an agreement.
The Doors is available to stream on Prime Video and Paramount+.
