Val Kilmer opens about the emotional reunion between Iceman and Maverick in Top Gun: Maverick. Releasing more than 35 years after Tony Scott's original film, Top Gun: Maverick brings back Tom Cruise as hotshot pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, this time tasking him with training a new batch of TOPGUN graduates for a dangerous mission in enemy territory. The film has been a massive hit with fans and critics alike and has been the biggest box-office hit of Cruise's career, earning over $156 million over its opening weekend.
In addition to Cruise, Top Gun: Maverick also brings back Kilmer's Tom "Iceman" Kazansky from the original film. The rivalry between Maverick and Iceman is a major part of the original Top Gun, with Iceman criticizing Maverick's penchant for danger and disregard for protocol. The film ends with the two working together to defeat a group of enemy fighters, ultimately reconciling their differences and finishing the film with a mutual level of respect. Top Gun: Maverick sees the pair reunite once more, but unlike Maverick, who remains a pilot, Iceman has ascended to the rank of Admiral.
In a new interview with USA Today, Kilmer opens up regarding his reunion with Cruise for Top Gun: Maverick. The actor explains that he was "very moved" upon seeing it on screen for the first time and also reveals that, when shooting the scene, he and Cruise "laughed all day." Kilmer ultimately has high praise for his former on-screen rival, saying that Cruise is "great and surprisingly funny!" Check out Kilmer's full comment below:
I was very moved the first time I saw it. Almost 40 years is a long time for a reunion. We laughed all day. Tom is great and surprisingly funny!!
Like the on-screen rivalry between Iceman and Maverick, it was heavily rumored around the release of the original Top Gun that there existed a very real feud between Cruise and Kilmer, who were both movie stars on the rise. While this claim has been downplayed and called into question in recent years, it's clear that today, the two actors get along swimmingly. After all, Cruise was adamant that, if he was going to return for Top Gun: Maverick, so too would Kilmer.
While, for many, the highlight of Top Gun: Maverick will be the aerial combat, the film also features a number of surprisingly touching moments. The interactions between Kilmer and Cruise harken back to their characters' strong bond at the end of the original Top Gun and affirm that, in the intervening 36 years between the events of the original and the events of the sequel, their friendship has only grown stronger. While the Top Gun: Maverick reunion was touching to behold on-screen, Kilmer's comments make clear that his off-screen reunion with Cruise was just as enjoyable.
Source: USA Today