Tom Cruise Praised for Classy Val Kilmer Gesture
Tom Cruise took a moment of silence to honor his friend, Val Kilmer, during the Paramount panel at CinemaCon on Thursday, April 3. A tweet posted by Deadline announced the gesture.
While honoring Kilmer, per Variety, Cruise said, "I’d like to honor a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer... I think it would be really nice if we could have a moment together because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us. Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.”
CinemaCon is credited as the world's largest gathering for the motion picture theater industry. Cruise was in attendance to create buzz ahead of the release of Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning.
Kilmer, who passed away on Tuesday, April 1, at the age of 65, famously played the role of Lt. Tom "Iceman" Kazansky in the 1986 film, Top Gun. He then returned for a cameo in Top Gun: Maverick in 2022.
In a 2023 interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Cruise recalled seeing Kilmer on set while filming Top Gun: Maverick.
"I just want to say that was pretty emotional," Cruise said. "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."
Speaking specifically about Kilmer's cameo in Top Gun: Maverick, Cruise added, "I was crying, I was crying. I got emotional. He's such a brilliant actor, I love his work."
Cruise isn't the first Top Gun actor to commemorate the actor. On Wednesday, April 2, Anthony Edwards, who costarred in the original Top Gun, told People, "Val Kilmer, in a life time as an artist created work that touched so many in so many mediums. Hoping he is at peace."
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