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We lost a good one today as actor Val Kilmer died of pneumonia following a decade-long battle with esophageal cancer. An actor’s actor, Kilmer might have been best known for his iconic roles as Jim Morrison in „The Doors“ (1991) and Doc Holliday in „Tombstone“ (1993).
On X today, actress Jennifer Tilly (who had a minor role in „The Doors“) told what happened when Kilmer showed up at director Oliver Stone’s „cattle call“ audition. „All of a sudden“, she posted, „a sixties convertible came screeching up, blaring Doors Music at top volume. And a guy jumped out and strode inside: He had wild hair and he was barefoot, shirtless, and wearing nothing but a pair of tight leather pants.“
„We all looked at each other like… Who is this guy? We were more than a little shook by the sheer audacity of his entrance. Well of course it was Val Kilmer and from that minute on, nobody else stood a chance.“
He even did his own vocals as Morrison and, if you’ve ever seen the movie, you know he was good. „The Doors“ was about as historically accurate as anything else Stone ever wrote or directed, which is to say, „Not at all.“ But that doesn’t take away from Kilmer’s performance.
Kilmer had a reputation for being difficult to work with. „Tombstone“ costar Michael Biehn told The Hollywood Reporter in 2019, “People ask me what it’s like to work with Val Kilmer.
