Val Kilmer Forever

It’s been almost two weeks since the passing of Val Kilmer. During my morning scrolls, I found the news of Val Kilmer’s passing in the form of a tribute using Batman Forever. Putting the pieces together of the age displayed. Val Kilmer, one of my favorite actors had passed away.

Whoever was in charge of the news when he died deserves the biggest award for making sure that his news wouldn’t be misdirected as a April Fool’s joke.

Val Kilmer was not only one of my favorite actors who takes up a collection of films on my wall. But it’s the way he carried kindess later in his life. I followed his journey for years when I became a movie buff. In his honor, I wanted to share my favorite stories I found over the years as a tribute to someone who offered more to the world then just being Iceman, Jim Morrison, or Doc Holliday (though ALL of his roles are great because, because the man was a GOAT).

Spreading Kindness

If there is one celebrity who shared content that had a grace of goodness in every post, it was him. He shared a post about how he and Jeff Goldblum looked like parents at a graduation. Art events were praised by him. But it was during the pandemic that his kindess shined bright.

During the Pandemic, Val Kilmer posted up on Instagram that he was giving a vitual hug, everyone in that post deserved a virtual hug.

And I was thinking “Man, I want a hug from ICEMAN!”

His kindness and enthusiasm was a bright beacon in a bleak time in the beginning of the pandemic.

This was the same man that many film directors would express their distain for him just by saying his name. But then he became a man who spread compassion. What a turnaround.

(Thunder) heart to heart.

I was too young to know who Val Kilmer was in his most successful decade. Almost every production had a story of how he had “disagreements” Or “outbursts“. But not the one story about how he showed respect for indegenous culture. But one story doesn’t get talked about, and that’s, his friendship with Ted Thin Elk on the set of Thunderheart.

Ray Levoi is a role of his that I hold to a high praise. It was shared by the crew how Val Kilmer had close friendship with Ted Thin Elk. Val Kilmer played a character who was described to have Sioux roots on his father’s side. But in real life, his ancestral roots travel to Cherokee.

Cast and crew recalled how Kilmer sat with Ted Think Elk with eager eyes and ears to learn more about indigenous culture.

Of all the co-stars Val Kilmer had, this was special.

Military Training

His role as Chris Shiherlis became more then just De Niro‘s right hand gunman. To train the new recruits for correct gun maintenance and technique, the military watches his scenes. To think a Michael Mann film has a role in the military. Now in the years to come, Val Kilmer has a part to help with military training all because of a role Johnny Depp refused.

Memorable Lines

All of his films have a special place in my filmography. But it’s his movie Real Genius that has one of the best lines in my opinion.

”You can use your mind creatively…when your smart people need you.”

Real Genius was a film all about being creative with intelligence. There are different ways someone shows intelligence And many people unfortunately get burnt from the experience and lose themselves. Chris Knight explains how he was burnt by judgement for his intelligence and taught this valuable lesson about using a mind creatively. Everyone is smart in their own way, and when a mind is used creatively, it does create opportunities. But how can those opportunities happen if a mind doesn’t get to flow the way it needs to?

That’s the lesson that Chris Knight taught.

The quote was so powerful, I made a reference to his character.

When I began working on my first story Inglorious Ink, I created a character named Ted Burrell inspired by Chris Knight.

Just as he was making the third attempt on the bum lock Lou never bothered to replace, a pair of bunny slippers came into peripheral vision, Ted and his bad taste in bedroom attire.

Forever he will be…Our Huckleberry…Our Iceman…Our Val.