Tom Cruisesays his reunion withVal KilmerforTop Gun: Maverickwas a moving one.
“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.”
“You’re just looking at Iceman,” he added of Kilmer’sTop Gun: Maverickcameo, in which Cruise’s character Pete “Maverick” Mitchell seeks out Kilmer’s Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky for advice on how to handle the film’s top secret, high-risk mission.
“I was crying, I was crying. I got emotional,” Cruise admitted, after Kimmel asked whether he cried while filming the scene. “He’s such a brilliant actor, I love his work.”
Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise inTop Gun(1986).Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock
Last July, Kilmerhelped Cruise ring in his 60th birthdaywhen he posted a sweetmessage to Cruiseon Twitter wishing his costar well.
“Happy Birthday Mav@TomCruisefrom Ice!” wrote Kilmer, 63, referencing their iconic characters' call signs.
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Cruise told PEOPLE last May that it felt “special” to reunite with Kilmer for the sequel.
“I’ve always admired his work, his talent,” he said at the time, adding: “We get together … we just start laughing. It was special to have him back. It meant a lot to me.”
For Kilmer, becoming Iceman once againwas “like being reunited with a long-lost friend.“Even after more than 30 years, he told PEOPLE, “the characters never really go away. They live on in deep freeze. If you’ll pardon the pun.”
Scott Garfield /© Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett
Top Gun: Maverick’s success — the film madeclose to $1.5 billionat the global box office — still has Hollywood buzzing since its release last May. A video from theOscars nominees luncheonon Feb. 15 showedSteven Spielbergtelling Cruise he “saved Hollywood’s ass"with the film.
The director added that Cruise “might have saved theatrical distribution” entirely with the long-awaited sequel to the 1986 hit.
source: people.com
