The Real Reason Val Kilmer Almost Never Played Top Gun's Iceman

Val Kilmer lent his talents to several movies that are now regarded as classics, including the star-studded Western "Tombstone" and Michael Mann's "Heat." However, his outing as Tom "Iceman" Kazansky in Tony Scott's airbound actioner "Top Gun" is one of his most beloved performances, with the film pitting his character against Tom Cruise's Pete Mitchell as competitive rival pilots before they come together in the name of friendship and America. Despite becoming a career-defining role for the late Kilmer, however, he was reluctant to accept a part in "Top Gun."

That's putting it mildly actually, as Kilmer had to be tortured into auditioning for "Top Gun," and he only took a meeting with Scott as a favor to his agent. The actor felt zero enthusiasm toward the script, so he showed up to his audition dressed in his most casual attire and proceeded to coast through his lines, hoping to be rejected so that he could put the whole experience in the rearview mirror. Despite trying to sabotage his prospects of getting the gig, Scott was still impressed by Kilmer's performance and offered him the role, promising that the script would get better.

Speaking in the documentary "Val," Kilmer elaborated on his reluctance to accept the role of Iceman in "Top Gun." He believed the script was "silly" and noted that he wasn't a fan of war movies, so he had no interest in being part of one. However, while Kilmer initially felt bummed out about being offered the Iceman gig, he was eventually sold on Scott's passion for the project and became obsessed with his character.

After reluctantly accepting the "Top Gun" gig, Val Kilmer went into method acting mode to bring his character to life. In his "I'm Your Huckleberry" memoir, the late actor recalled that he learned everything he could about Iceman's background in an effort to understand why he was so arrogant at times, which led to some enlightening visions on the set. In his own words:

"I became so obsessed that at one point in my trailer I actually saw — the way Macbeth saw the ghost of Banquo — Iceman's father, the man (my imagination told me) who had ignored his son to the point where his son was driven to prove himself as the absolute ideal man."

The experience was positive for Kilmer overall, though, as he reprised the role of Iceman" in "Top Gun: Maverick," giving an emotional performance that made Tom Cruise cry. The franchise might not have been to Kilmer's tastes at times, but he still gave his all to his making his character feel memorable, and the films benefited from his dedication to the craft.