In his formative years, Val Kilmer made history by being the youngest entrant to attend Juilliard School’s Drama Division. Eventually, he launched his career by co-authoring and starring in his own play. In the ‘80s, Kilmer gained notoriety for starring in comedy films including the 1984 production Top Secret, Real Genius, which was released in 1985, and subsequently, 1986’s Top Gun. His long list of films includes True Romance, in which he starred alongside Brad Pitt.
While the actor has an impressive resume, the same cannot be said for his relationship with the industry. Through the years, he has consistently been labeled difficult to work with and has made some foes in the business, actors and executives alike. His attitude on set has made him lose a couple of jobs. “ As you know, I have a reputation for being difficult, but only with stupid people.” Kilmer has said in the past. His words taken into account, here are the many times he’s proved them to be true, and how he's fairing today.
10 Feud With Director John Frankenheimer
1996 Horror Sci-Fi The Island of Dr. Moreau starred Van Kilmer, Marlon Brando, David Thewlis, and Fairuza Balk. The film was directed by John Frankenheimer, who had some not-so-flattering things to say of Kilmer. Upon completion of filming with Kilmer, Frankenheimer was quoted to have said, “ Now get that b**** off my set.” He further mentioned to Entertainment Weekly that he did not like Kilmer’s work ethic, and had no desire to work with him in the future.
9 Obnoxious Behavior
Not only did the director of The Island of Dr. Moreau have the worst experience with Kilmer on set, but his castmates also did too. Neil Young, who played Boar Man, had this to say of Kilmer: “ He was just kinda being a bit rude and abrasive. That was his character though, so it might be that is the way he prepared; to be an a*****, and to act like one on camera.”
8 An Altercation With Joel Schumacher
Prior to working together on Batman Forever, Director Joel Schumacher said he’d heard stories doing rounds of how Kilmer behaved on set and was ‘warned not to hire him', but he did anyway. His failure to heed the warnings resulted in ‘a physical pushing match’. Schumacher called Kilmer ‘rude’ and ‘inappropriate’, and eventually termed him as ‘childish’, ‘psychotic’, and ‘impossible’.
7 Silent Treatment
Schumacher’s experience with Kilmer does not particularly end with the pair nearly exchanging blows. The director called the actor out on his behavior and told him it wouldn’t be tolerated for another second. What followed was two weeks of the pair not talking to each other. To Schumacher, that was ‘Bliss’. In the film’s sequel, Kilmer was replaced with George Clooney.
6 Beef With Tom Sizemore
In 2000, Kilmer and Sizemore were shooting Red Planet in Australia. As narrated in Sizemore’s memoir, Kilmer was angered that Sizemore’s elliptical machine was being shipped to Australia. “ I’m making $10 million on this, you’re making two.” The True Romance actor blurted. Sizemore’s response was to hurl a 50-pound weight in Kilmer’s direction. However, in the memoir, he revealed that they’d since solved that dispute.
5 Eating A Locust On The Set Of ‘Tombstone’
The story goes that on the set on Tombstone, Kilmer was conversing with director Kevin Jarre about Doc Holiday when a stand-in approached them with a colorful locust. “ Look what I found!” The stand-in said. Without batting an eyelid, Val grabbed the locust and ate it. According to Jarre, the locust in question was big. When he was done, Kilmer turned to Jarre and said, “As you know, I have a reputation of being difficult, but only with stupid people.”
4 Bad Press
Through the years, Kilmer’s inability to work in harmony has been highlighted by members of the press. “ But just as Kilmer’s $6 million per-picture paycheck has come to reflect his clout, his reputation for being difficult has soared. His prolific schedule notwithstanding, many in Hollywood are loathe to work with him, no matter how big the box office payback.” Ascher- Walsh of Entertainment Weekly penned.
3 A Silver Lining
While Kilmer has gained notoriety for giving people who work with him a difficult time, it would be unfair to only concentrate on one side of the story, since each cloud has its own silver lining. James Jacks, Tombstone producer, said of Kilmer: “ He behaved well on my movie, and I’d be happy to work with him again.” His sentiments were co-signed by The Doors director Oliver Stone, who had no complaints when it came to Kilmer.
2 An Assessment Of The Past
In a Question-and-Answer session on Reddit, Kilmer gave an objective assessment of his behavior in the past. " I only cared about the acting and that did not translate to caring about the film or all that money. I like to take risks and this often gave the impression I was willing to risk the money not being returned, which was foolish of me. I understand that now…I was often unhappy trying to make pictures better."
1 Turning Over A New Leaf?
The recent years have seen a change in Val Kilmer’s life. The actor was diagnosed with throat cancer back in 2015, an illness he’s been battling in private until recently. He also took to detail his life through his 2020 memoir, I’m Your Huckleberry: A Memoir. His sentiments regarding his behavior are that of a mature mind. Kilmer continues to do what he does best: Acting.