Blessed, Life and Films of Val Kilmer Read online

  Val met Cindy Crawford at the ‘Batman Forever’ premiere in June 1995, then she visited him on location in Australia and Africa. Last spring, in Moscow, while Kilmer was filming the thriller “The Saint,” she even bought a birthday dinner for his mother. However director Philip Noyce notes that when the production moved to London, Cindy “suddenly wasn’t there.”

  Then there was Jaycee Gossett, who is a businesswoman, Val dated her around 1998. Val started seeing Daryl Hannah in 2001, and then he dated Angelina Jolie.

  True Romance

  9/1/1993

  Val takes every role seriously, and this was no exception. Tony Scott, the director sent him every movie and song Elvis ever made, and Val watched every one, just for one day's work as Elvis. He wasn’t even credited as Elvis, he was credited as Mentor.

  The Real McCoy

  9/1/1993

  “The Real McCoy” was released the same day as “True Romance,” (9/1/93) and this was after Val had a seven-month stretch after “Thunderheart.”Russell Mulcahy, who had gotten most of his directorial expertise from directing commercials, directed the movie. The movie grossed just six million, probably one of the reasons he hasn’t been offered a comedy lately.

  Tombstone

  December 31, 1993

  Peter Sherayko met Kevin Jarre (the screenwriter and original director) three years before “Tombstone” was made; they agreed that westerns needed to be more historically accurate. According to Sherayko, “Only a few Westerns were made during the '70s and '80s. So a lot of the people who worked on them: props, costumes, wranglers, stunt people and actors, may have wanted to do a western, but they didn’t have a lot of practice, or a lot of knowledge to know what is really, historically correct.”

  Val says, “I grew up more interested in the real stories of the West than the films about it. The films never seemed logical to me, I could never understand why the Apaches wore Cherokee headbands. Inaccuracies like that really bugged me.”

  Sherayko formed the Buckaroos to help make realistic westerns. When Jarre started working on “Tombstone,” Sherayko helped him. “I would research every character that he had in the script. If it was possible for me to supply him with the original type of firearm that the actual character had, then that's what we used. Kevin knew exactly what he wanted in the film, and I tried my darnedest to give him what he wanted.”

  Kurt Russell (who played Wyatt Earp) said, “Kevin Jarre's screenplay was really the first time anyone has tried to present Wyatt Earp in his entirety. I mean, all of him: his relationship with his brothers, with his wife, how he took up with Josephine Marcus, the traveling actress that he ended up spending nearly half a century with. You could see the dark side of the man.”

  When asked why he did “Tombstone,” Val said, “Everything… I was quite familiar with the world and the history. And yet this writer, Kevin Jarre, made things vibrant in a way I hadn’t seen, and it was rare. He really captured something with that character.”

  Universal Studios backed the movie, but the first in a series of unfortunate events occurred, Russell explains, “A lot of people, a lot of studios, wished “Tombstone” would just die. Kevin Costner was gearing up his film “Wyatt Earp” at the same time and it would have been easier if we’d just gone away. But “Tombstone” had a lot of things going for it. First and foremost it had me.”

  Universal dropped the film because Kevin Costner’s “Wyatt Earp” looked like it had the best financial potential. Russell scrambled for another backer, Disney studios decided to give the cowboys a chance. Jarre was in the director’s seat, and the production was back in swing.

  Kurt Russell adds, “The vision that Kevin Jarre had as a writer, he couldn’t realize as a director. That’s an unfortunate reality. Within three weeks he was replaced by a man who had no concept of the screenplay but a very good eye (George P. Cosmatos). At that point George and I had to become bed buddies… here’s this poor guy coming in on one day’s preparation and what’s he supposed to do?”

  29 pages were cut from the screenplay to focus on the relationship between Doc Holliday (Val) and Wyatt Earp, but there was less focus on the cowboys. This changed the whole nature of the film, in the original there wasn’t black and white because the villains side was shown, and you felt like they were real people.

  Sam Elliott (who pl;ayed Virgil Earp) wasn’t impressed, “Initially, the screenplay was one of the best I’ve ever read. If I was given the screenplay as it is now, I’d have to pass it on. I knew from the third day that Kevin (Jarre) couldn't direct. He wasn't getting the shots he needed.”

  But Val thought the changes were good, “(the whole movie), was just very satisfying It’s always pleasurable to play a well written role and the writer really understood him and I think one of the things, why it’s remained so popular with the people, is that it’s such a strong story of friendship; such a real and odd and wonderful kind of a understanding they had about each other and (such) totally different characters.”

  Andy Vajna (producer) about the changes, “We didn’t hire George (Cosmatos) because we wanted an action movie. We’re certainly not saying it hurt, because George made the action scenes crackle, but he also helped supply a visual element that we felt was badly needed. A lot of recent Westerns have deliberately gone for a drab, colorless look. I think people were ready for a truly gorgeous-looking Western… People are getting tremendous enjoyment from seeing these actors in these roles.”

  Kurt Russell, on the look of the film, “What we wanted to do was to show people why so many wanted to come to Tombstone during the silver rush. It was a sprawling, bustling frontier town, spilling over with energy. We didn’t design this town to look like the Old West--we designed it the way people saw it in 1879, as the New West.”

  Meticulous attention went into the creation of the sets; they were designed from old photographs to be as realistic as possible. Consultants were brought to help make sure that details, like the guns, saddles and other props, were right.

  Val was impressed with how well his role was researched by Jarre, “Doc Holliday was not just a Southerner, but an aristocrat with very strict rules of conduct. He was very loyal to Wyatt Earp and did many things - some of which are in the film - that weren’t in his best interest.” Attention was paid by the screenwriter to “how everyone wore their wealth on their bodies. They said who they were by how they turned their hats and what colors they wore.”

  While other people complained about the hot weather and the competition from the other movie, Val said, “The shoot, wasn’t tough, because Kurt is a very straight-ahead kind of guy with amazing energy. He’s very good about structure and a character’s function. He’ll discuss and anticipate things. We had so many powerful actors, it could easily have become a feeding frenzy of sharks going for their own.”

  Production Designer Catherine Hardwicke on working with Val, “One thing that stands out the most is the scene where Val passes out in the saloon and the boys (Kurt and Bill Paxton) carry him out, on their way out of the set there is a step down (saloon doorway, boardwalk to dirt street.) They were suppose to carry him onto the dirt street, then let him down - but apparently forgetting the step down all three of them went tumbling onto the street… If you also look hard you will see Val’s body tip suddenly as he exits. It was funny seeing them all piled up in the middle of the street.”

  ”I don’t have any really great Val stories … he helped me move a massive potted fern once! He used to listen to Led Zeppelin a lot on set. When lunchtime would come around he would go off to his little trailer and play the music very loud. I don't think he ate though; the director was always worried that Val was too skinny.”

  Val got along with Kurt like their onscreen counterparts did. Val comments, “Oh this is bizarre. I wanted to give him (Kurt) something that was special. You know it was a really fun time and uh, we became good friends working on it. And uh, so I bought him a piece of land in Tombstone. And uh, ‘cause I knew he’d probably never go a
nd see it and definitely not build on it unless he really hit hard times. Uh, I got a photograph taken with his chair on it with his name and framed it ‘cause I figured that’s all, you know, it’ll be a nice looking gift but legitimate sales slip for the land. And uh, he did the exact same thing except he (gave) me a gravesite inside of Tombstone. All the bodies are not actually in boot hill, the tourist attraction, they were moved to the Tombstone cemetery and he got me a Tomb in Tombstone. Not a tomb, a plot. Framed with a picture of me with my chair there. Same exact gift we got each other. I got him a place to live and he got me a place to die. It’s a 6x4 but it’s mine and it’s plot number 666, too which is eerie. We laughed.”

  “Kurt Russell and I were doing press for Tombstone across Europe and um, I think it was I think it was … we were in Paris and um, got a message that Bill Clinton was taking the film to Moscow um, because they’d asked him… Isn’t that bizarre? So we thought it was strange and maybe we should go see it there and oh, that didn’t work out with the visas so we had a couple of days off and we ended up in Istanbul”

  Interesting facts:

  According to Kevin Jarre, “We were deep in conversation about Doc Holliday and this stand-in brought over a very colorful locust and said, ‘Look what I found!’ I looked up and said, ‘Hey, that’s pretty good,’ and Val, without a word, grabbed the locust and ate it. And it was big.”

  Val practiced a Chopin nocturne every day for four months, for just 90 seconds of screen time, “And then they blew the edit,” Val laments.

  Huckleberry was a slang term of endearment in the 19th century

  Old West Journal magazine named “Tombstone” as the Best Western Movie (October, 2002 issue). “This film set the standard for all Western movies to follow, its impact on the Western genre is still felt today, nine years after it was made. “Tombstone” raised the bar in clothing, guns, vocabulary and even set design. Movie people are now interested in getting it right.”

  The part of Billy Claiborne was played by Wyatt Earp. He’s a real life desendant of Wyatt Earp, and was also auditioning for a role in the movie entitled “Wyatt Earp.” The folks on that movie told him he would be kicked out of their movie if he was in “Tombstone,” he stayed with Val’s film and was kicked out of the other one

  ”Tombstone” cost $25 million grossed over $55 million

  “Wyatt Earp” was released in the summer of 1994, cost over $60 million dollars and grossed less than $20 million, “Tombstone” was released on video just as “Wyatt Earp” was going to theaters

  Christian Science

  Although many actors in Hollywood come to Christian Science once they are famous, Val has been a member of Christian Science since childhood. Val is a deeply religious man; this is another reason why the rumors about Val are so unfounded.

  Christian Science was founded by Mary Baker Eddy, who emphasizes the New Testament chapters regarding healing. In fact, Christian Scientists claim that almost all illnesses can be cured through faith in the Bible. She used this principal to overcome paralysis and go from poverty to one of the most influential women of her time.

  One of her teachings which has come into popular fashion is that men and women are equal in God’s eyes, and to celebrate this viewpoint the exhibit ‘This is Woman’s Hour’ opened at Santa Fe Community College with governor Johnson and Val in attendance. Val was supposed to introduce the governor, however he arrived after the governor had left. In Val’s speech he said that his life had been saved several times and that he had flat lined after drowning, but was resuscitated through faith.

  Of Eddy’s theology Val says, “I love the freedom it represents and the radical notion that we can rely on God.”

  “Listening spiritually to God silences the physical senses and so keeps us from being misled by them. Through prayer, the unity that truly exists between God and us is established in our consciousness, and in this way the divine governs the human. We’re governed by the harmony and love of God, which has a healing, restoring effect on our lives. We are blessed.”

  “This is the blessing action of the Christ. The author of ‘Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,’ Mary Baker Eddy, offers many beautiful, concise explanations of Christ, such as this one: ‘Christ is the true idea voicing good, the divine message from God to men speaking to the human consciousness’ (p. 332). Prayer is listening to this Christ message, which conveys the truth that there is one all-good God, who is infinite Spirit, and that what Spirit creates, which includes you and me, is spiritual and good. Obviously this spiritual reality is far different from what the physical senses suggest. Prayer puts us in touch with the truth, spiritual truth, and reveals our intimate relation to God.”

  “Mary Baker Eddy said, ‘the truth should cost something,’ and it’s benefited me virtually every day.”

  Wings Of Courage

  4/21/1995

  IMAX’s first Hollywood-style 3D narrative film was “Wings of Courage,” starring Val in a small role, as the French pilot Jean Mermoz. Val learned to tango for the role, he says, “I had to rehearse a lot, of course, because tango dancing is extremely demanding. I have always wanted to tango and I was once offered a role in the film ‘Naked Tango,’ which sparked my interest in the dance.”

  According to Director Jean-Jacques Annaud, “At first the people at IMAX were reluctant to try a drama. But this format is perfect for intimate relationships, because it’s as if you’re in the scene with the actors.”

  When they started shooting, there were only three IMAX 3-D cameras in existence. Annaud used all of them, each rig being the size of a pool table. Each camera only held three minutes of film, and took an hour to reload. Because the cameras had to be disassembled and moved by helicopter for every set-up, Annaud averaged four setups a day. Also because of the scarcity of projectors, they’d have to wait to see the dailies for a month. Despite the production difficulties, the movie was a success, and it was shown for years at IMAX theaters around the country.

  Batman Forever

  6/16/1995

  We may never know why Michael Keaton didn’t want to play Batman anymore, but this may have been one of the best movies for Val Kilmer, movie star. Joel Schumacher (director) has said that his only choice was Val.

  “I was sleeping in a cave full of bats, having just come out of the Kalahari Desert… I was in South Africa with a brilliant artist, Bowen Boschier, who lives in the bush a portion of each year, doing research on an impossible movie project that I've been working on for nine years now.”

  “I hadn’t had a shower in two-and-a-half weeks, I couldn’t even be reached by airplane, my wife was in London. I had trouble with the Land Rover, so, while Bowen was off fixing the radiator, I -- the complete wimp -- thought, “I’ll call my agent.’ It was almost a joke, for the phone value of saying, ‘I’m in the largest desert in the world. Where are you?’ My agent said, “we’re not having his conversation, but if it works out, do you wanna be Batman?’ I asked my agent, ‘Why? Who did they not get?’ I’d met with Joel a couple of times before about other (movies). I didn’t know anything in terms of the cast, story or anything, but I said, ‘Sure, sounds like fun.’”

  Val also says, “I haven’t had the good fortune to play the lighter roles that don’t cost you something. It might seem silly to speak seriously about “Batman,” but the premise of the story is a guy who saw his parents get mowed down and the answer to his problem is to dress up in a rubber suit with a giant cape. Just to do it takes a certain amount of focus--if nothing else, just not to burst out laughing.”

  Warner Bros. signed Val for an unspecified number of sequels. “Did you know that McDonald's has something like a $35 million merchandising contract with Warner Bros. for ‘Batman Forever?’ I didn’t know this when I took the gig, but Warner Bros. has made something like $2 billion off Batman. They own the comic book and the TV show and the animated TV show and baseball cards—virtually anything you can imagine. I’ve had to approve my likeness on plates, pillow, co
okie jars, and coffee cups. The cookie jar got to me because it is my actual size. Someone out there in Consumerland wants a very large cookie jar.”

  Val said hopefully, “It’s no more job security than any other, because maybe they won’t want to do another one. Although, from what they’re saying, it’s probably that they will.”

  “Well, it is kind of easy to go out and subdue the bad guy, yes - I mean, my preparation as an actor is to get dressed. That does make it much easier to go to work. Yet, there are truly comic perversions to doing ‘Batman Forever’…the suit shrinks. Wet suits don’t shrink, but this particular kind of rubber does after two weeks. If my grandparents were alive, I’d spend much more time with them because (wearing the Batman costume) is like being old, at least from what I hear about being old from elderly people.”

  What did Val wear under the Batsuit? “Nothing. Buff, man. He’s dedicated, Batman, I tell you.”

  Besides the heat from the suit, Val was taking heat from director Schumacher, who has been one of the most vehement critics Val has ever had. Schumacher has accused Val of starting shoving matches and being psychologically disturbed.

  According to Val, the initial problem was Schumacher’s refusal to let him watch his own dailies (raw footage). “I said, ‘I don’t know how to improve my performance if I can’t see what I'm doing.’ But for Joel, my work wasn’t about acting. It was a modeling experience; he wanted to ritually sell an image. Once I realized that this movie was going to be a two-hour ad for the toys, that nothing I did mattered, I wasn’t a pain in the ass.”