Top Gun fans were reduced to tears when Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer reunited on screen for the sequel, and it turns out it was also a highly emotional moment behind the scenes.
The two actors had starred in the original 1986 movie, with Cruise, now 60, portraying Maverick and Kilmer, now 63, appearing as Iceman.
While both actors have had careers which have spanned decades, Kilmer hasn’t acted in years after being diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015. He had two tracheostomies which affected his vocal chords and his ability to speak.
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In his memoir I’m Your Huckleberry Kilmer recalled waking up ‘vomiting blood’ and calling 911 before his cancer diagnosis.
“The cancer miraculously healed much faster than any of the doctors predicted,” he shared in his book, adding: “It has taken time, and taken a toll. . . . Speaking, once my joy and lifeblood, has become an hourly struggle.”
Kilmer said his new voice resembles 'Marlon Brando after a couple of bottles of tequila. It isn’t a frog in my throat. More like a buffalo'.
Despite his battle with cancer and the lasting impact on his voice, the Batman Forever star and Cruise were on screen together once again after 36 years.
“I just want to say that was pretty emotional,” Cruise said during a recent interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “I’ve known Val for decades. For him to come back and play that character… he’s such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again… you’re looking at Iceman.”
The Jerry Maguire star admitted he shed a few tears while filming with Kilmer for the hotly anticipated sequel. “I was crying, I got emotional. He’s such a brilliant actor and I love his work.”
In the highly emotional scene, Maverick and Iceman have a heart-to-heart after Maverick's former rival turned wingman types 'It's time to let go' on a computer.
He eventually speaks and tells Maverick that the Navy needs him before the pair joke about who the better pilot is and they embrace . “The Navy needs Maverick. The kid needs Maverick. …. That’s why you’re still here," he declares.
Top Gun: Maverick became Cruise's highest-grossing movie worldwide after just 21 days. It surpassed $800 million (£654m) at the global box office, consequently beating his previous record of $791.1m (£647m) for Mission: Impossible - Fallout, and succeeded in becoming the highest-grossing Cruise movie in 23 different worldwide markets.
It has now grossed $1.489 billion worldwide.
During the same interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Cruise revealed he watches his films in the cinema with fans during opening weekend.
Topics: Film and TV, Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer
Gregory Robinson