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Val Kilmer’s daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, is reflecting on her experience witnessing her father lay down scenes on the set of “Top Gun: Maverick.”
The 30-year-old actress recalled being present when Kilmer, 62, made his anticipated cameo in the upcoming Tom Cruise flick as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, the arch-nemesis of Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell.
According to the New York Post, both stars appear together in a scene, reuniting the pair in which Iceman and Maverick Mitchell come face-to-face and each deliver heartwarming performances that marked a culmination for the film franchise.
“I was on set. I saw it live, and it was extraordinary,” Kilmer’s daughter, Mercedes, 30, told The Post. “It means a lot to my dad as he’s very proud of that film. This is what he loves to do.”
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Val Kilmer first played Iceman alongside Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in “Top Gun” at 26 years old and his role in the newest installment sees his character as a commander in the US Navy.
Kilmer first played Iceman at 26 years old, and his role in the newest installment sees his character as a commander in the U.S. Navy.
Mercedes lamented that she found it difficult to wrap her head around the fact that her father was once as young as she is — and was once a superstar in his own right.
“It was trippy, and very special for my dad to be on set with all of his friends who made this movie when they were my age,” the singer and actress explained. Sources maintained to The Post that the scene itself happened intimately in front of close friends and family as well as crew who worked on the wildly anticipated film.
Kilmer’s cameo in the blockbuster comes after the “True Romance” star endured a battle with throat cancer that saw him lose his voice.
American actors Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise appear on the set of the original “Top Gun,” directed by Tony Scott.
(Paramount Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis)
Kilmer was first diagnosed with throat cancer in 2017 and ultimately underwent an emergency tracheotomy in which doctors made an incision in his windpipe in order to allow the actor ability to breathe.
The operation left the “Heat” performer having to eat through a feeding tube which affected his ability to speak.
Kilmer’s fight against cancer was chronicled in the documentary, “Val,” which featured his children Jack Kilmer, 27, and Mercedes. The “Batman Forever” star has been cancer-free for the better part of six years now.
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Mercedes, whose mother is longtime actress Joanne Whalley, told Fox News Digital in August 2020 that she was proud of her father for pushing through his diagnosis as it led to an opportunity for the father-daughter pair to finally act in a project together in a film called “Paydirt.”
“I’m so proud of him because he has no issues now,” said Mercedes. “And even if he wasn’t my dad, I would feel so proud of him. It feels like the entertainment industry is finally changing. And there are so many more artists who different disabilities and different backgrounds who can now finally get visibility. It’s just a really exciting moment to be a part of.”
Actress Mercedes Kilmer opened up about her father Val Kilmer’s anticipated cameo in “Top Gun: Maverick” as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, the arch-nemesis of Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell.
(Photo by Michael Tullberg/Getty Image )
Kilmer’s voice reportedly had to be digitally altered for his return in “Maverick.”
In his memoir, “I’m Your Huckleberry,” the “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” performer revealed the epic dichotomy shared between Tom Cruise and himself during the pair’s filming of the original “Top Gun.”
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Kilmer claimed Cruise was “laser-focused” on shooting the movie while Kilmer and his cronies “were the party boys” of the bunch.
“Every night we’d hit the San Diego nightlife,” he wrote. “Once we were stuck at an intersection where all four lights were red. I peeled out, spinning and burning rubber in a perfect circle, showing off. Until we cozied right up to a cop car. He looked at me like, ‘Really, dude?’”
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Kilmer wrote in the excerpt that the officer “didn’t even bother turning on his lights,” and Kilmer knew he was busted.
“I just pulled over and begged my drunken passengers, in my firm Iceman voice, to sit up straight and to let me do all the talking,” Kilmer explained. “Since I hadn’t been drinking, I was able to quickly rely on my actor’s instinct.”
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At that moment, the “Palo Alto” actor said the crew got lucky when they were sent on their way with just a slap on the wrist.