Val Kilmer is one of the main males who has had the largest impact in Hollywood. Kilmer has had a long and diverse career that has spanned decades, starting with his role as Lieutenant Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in the iconic 1980s picture “Top Gun,” continuing with the fantasy film “Willow,” and culminating with his portrayal of the Dark Knight in the 1995 film “Batman Forever.”

Among his many other outstanding films are “Real Romance,” “Tombstone,” and “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.” And even though he has been working in Hollywood over the years, he hasn’t been as visible as he was in the past because of how much the industry has changed.

It was reported that the actor had been fighting throat cancer after he had gone into hiding for a period of time in the middle of the 2010s. Kilmer first disputed rumors that he was unwell and attempted to keep his private life separate from his public life and work. Nevertheless, in 2017, he made the decision to come clean about his illness and share it to the whole world. This was at the time when he was already far into the process of receiving therapy. Kilmer’s voice was eventually altered as a result of his treatment with chemotherapy and two tracheostomies, which caused him to have a rasp in his voice and altered the way he talked.

Kilmer made a return to his origins as a movie star after a break that he took in the middle to late 2010s when he was battling cancer. During a period of time during which he was cancer-free, he kept himself busy with a variety of publications, one of which was a book titled “I’m Your Huckleberry: A Memoir,” which he released in the year 2020. The year after that, in 2021, he published a documentary on his life, which received widespread critical praise. The movie was titled “Val,” and it contained video from Val Kilmer’s personal vault that had never been seen before.

The next year, in 2022, Kilmer appeared with Tom Cruise in the film “Top Gun: Maverick,” in which he once again played the character of Iceman. Both of them had roles in the first movie, so seeing each other again was an emotional experience for them.

Kilmer resumed his legendary role as Iceman in the “Top Gun” sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick,” after the publishing of his biography, “I’m Your Huckleberry: A Memoir,” as well as the documentary, “Val.” The movie was shown for the first time anywhere in the globe in May 2022, just before it was released in theaters everywhere else. Kilmer appeared in the movie once again with Tom Cruise, who also starred. A number of well-known actors, including Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, and Ed Harris, appeared in the film as well.

Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes Kilmer gave an interview to People in which she discussed how much her father’s participation in the film meant to him and how “amazing” it was to be on site on the day in question. In her words:

“Due to the fact that my father is so proud of the movie, it is really significant to him. This is the activity that brings him the most joy… My dad was able to visit the set of the movie he produced with all of his pals when they were my age, and it was a surreal and extremely meaningful experience for him.”

Kilmer said in an interview with “GMA” that the opportunity to work with Cruise once again “was incredibly emotional.” He continued by saying, “During the breaks, Tom and I simply laughed like we were in high school.”

Jerry Bruckheimer, the film’s producer, was quoted as saying to People that Val Kilmer was “thrilled” to be a part of the next film. He said:

“We got in touch with Val over the phone and informed him that we needed him to be there for the photo. And this made him very happy… Tom Cruise has said that the film will not be produced without him being a part of it. It was an extremely emotional day when we recorded him because of the fact that he was able to do it and that he collaborated with us on the screenplay. Having him there and being a part of it meant a lot to us. Because you like seeing Iceman and Maverick go at it on the big screen, and you want to see them do it again. And this is exactly what the film industry and fans like.”

Bruckheimer discussed the importance of their characters’ “36-year relationship” being captured on video and how important it was to the overall narrative of the movie.

In the meanwhile, Tom Cruise disclosed to Entertainment Tonight that he “really lobbied hard for Val Kilmer to make the movie” when it came to the first installment of “Top Gun.” After that, he spoke about the sequence they had together in “”Top Gun: Maverick”:” Top Gun:”

“When you consider the sort of ability that he has, as well as the fact that you saw that moment, it’s extremely special, it’s simply very amazing.”

In subsequent interviews, Tom Cruise proceeded to gush about how amazing it was to reunite with Val Kilmer and how much it meant to him to do so, particularly when one considers the passage of time since their last collaboration and the degree to which both of their lives have progressed since then.

When Tom Cruise appeared on an episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in February 2023, he discussed with the show’s host, Jimmy Kimmel, how emotional it was for him to see Val Kilmer again. Even when remarking about Kilmer’s skills, Cruise couldn’t help but become a touch emotional. The actor spoke highly of his skilled buddy and stated the following:

“I just want to say that was extremely emotional. I’ve known Val for decades, and for him to come back and portray that role… he’s such a tremendous actor that he quickly became that character again. I was blown away.”

Kilmer was included in a sequence with Cruise. When Kimmel questioned Cruise whether he sobbed during shooting, Cruise replied, “I was sobbing, I was crying. I became emotional.” In continuation of his remarks regarding Kilmer, Tom Cruise said, “He is such a fantastic actor, and I admire his work.”

On social media, both film reviewers and fans were effusive in their appreciation for Val Kilmer and the rest of the cast and crew involved with the production of the movie. Some even went so far as to say that it was an improvement over the first film. This is not a trivial accomplishment and it demonstrates that Kilmer’s return in Hollywood was a genuine success story.