It’s hard to believe that been since 1986 that we have been waiting for a sequel to the movie, Top Gun. For many of us, it isn’t only a movie that we saw in the theaters, it is one that we continue to watch and still watch down to this day. It’s just iconic.
It is not only the fighter jets and the action that really makes us love the movie, it’s also the fact that it has a team that was unbeatable. The combination of Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer actually nailed it out of the park when it came to that movie. Without them, it just wouldn’t have been the same.
It seems as if those two are now about to reprise their roles from the original movie in the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick. It almost didn’t happen, however, because Val Kilmer didn’t want the part.
In order to make sure that he got in the movie, Cruise stuck out his neck and insisted that he be in it. Otherwise, he probably would have lost the opportunity.
Kilmer is interested in doing movies but he has been focused on other areas. For the past seven years, he has been battling with throat cancer and that has really taken a toll.
Fortunately, he received chemotherapy and radiation treatments and the 62-year-old actor was declared to be cancer-free in 2021. Although that is the case, it was throat cancer and it damaged his speaking voice.
In speaking with People, he said: “Now that it’s more difficult to speak, I want to tell my story more than ever.” He then went on to say: “I obviously am sounding much worse than I feel.”
You see, without plugging the hole in his throat, he isn’t able to speak. In his words, you have to make a choice as to whether to breathe or eat and he calls it an obstacle.
Kilmer’s daughter, Mercedes said that it was special seeing her father back on the set again. She said: “It means a lot to my dad as he’s very proud of that film. This is what he loves to do.”
She also said that it was unusual to see him with people that whom they have been friends with since she was very little.
As far as Cruise was concerned, there was no other option but to have him in the film. In speaking with Entertainment Tonight, he said: “I really rallied hard for him to make the movie. The kind of talent that he has, and you see that scene, it’s very special, it’s just very special.”
Sources: People, Entertainment Tonight
