Val Kilmer names his one career regret: “I just wasn’t interested”
Throughout his career, Val Kilmer established himself as one of American cinema’s greatest talents. Consistently providing performances that leapt off the screen into the hearts and minds of an audience, Kilmer’s efforts in the acting realm transcended his profession and burned themselves into an air of cultural legacy.
After coming through the ranks with breakthrough performances in the likes of Top Gun and Willow, Kilmer announced himself as an actor who would stick around in Hollywood for decades to come with his effort in Oliver Stone’s musical biopic The Doors and followed up with further acclaimed turns in Tombstone, True Romance and Heat.
Even the most prominent actors can look back on their respective careers with twinges of regret, though, and in that light, Kilmer is no different. While Kilmer’s filmography glimmers with undoubted quality, it remains that he wishes that he had crafted a professional identity for himself earlier in his career.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Kilmer once noted, “I actually regret not having created a persona years ago like all of my wise contemporaries [did].” Referring to the likes of Johnny Depp, Nicolas Cage and Sean Penn, Kilmer pointed out the fact that such actors have a “pretty solid identity” and that when one thinks of them, one has “a very instant opinion about a very particular kind of character.”
Actors with such a strong identity, like Tom Hanks, managed to create a sense of their being inextricably linked to American cinema, with Kilmer saying of Hanks, “He made very specific choices in and around some of his wonderful, oft-winning performances. You get a sense that he has a dedication to America and a particular kind of America. That’s not an accident.”
However, early into his career, Kilmer “just wasn’t interested” in carving out such an identity for himself, admitting that “acting wasn’t [his] only priority.” It seems like Kilmer was also primarily interested in pursuing hobbies outside of his profession and actually enjoyed his time “out of the spotlight”.
The truth is that despite Kilmer’s fame, he’s never “been comfortable at public functions and selling myself as an entity.” The persona of the celebrity was never something that really captured Kilmer’s attention early into his career, and even later in his life, he enjoyed being just a human being like anyone else.
The actor went on to explain that he thinks his filmography is somewhat lacking because of his commitment to his personal life. “I did not just turn down five really great directors but ten really great directors just because I was trying to be responsible to my family or my marriage,” he said. “I just didn’t pay attention to business. I can’t be a responsible parent and only be there three or four months a year.”
So there’s a feeling within the The Doors and Top Gun star that he looks back on his career wishing that he might have crafted more of a solid professional identity for himself. Still, having enjoyed several decades as one of Hollywood’s most memorable stars, Kilmer might be somewhat harsh on himself, seeing as he has provided American cinema with some truly memorable moments. While perhaps he lacks the cultural legacy of Hanks and Depp, it’s fair to say that Kilmer is deserving of his place in the pantheon of Hollywood heroes.