Tom Cruise says he 'got emotional' over Val Kilmer's return for Top Gun sequel: 'I was crying'

Tom Cruise opened up about the emotional on-screen reunion between himself and Val Kilmer for Top Gun: Maverick. Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Cruise shared with the host that there were tears in his eyes when Kilmer reprised his role of Tom "Iceman" Kazansky in the sequel to 1986's Top Gun.

"I just want to say that was pretty emotional," the actor said to Jimmy Kimmel. "I've known Val for decades, and 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."

When asked if he teared up just as much as the audience during that reunion, Cruise responded, "I was crying. I got emotional. He's such a brilliant actor, and I love his work."

Cruise was honored during Saturday's Producers Guild of America Awards with a career achievement distinction. Presenting the David O. Selznick Achievement Award to the blockbuster hit-maker, former Paramount CEO Sherry Lansing said, "He had that magical undefinable quality called charisma. Equally important, Tom had an incredible work ethic. Even then, he was always the first on the set, always well prepared and respectful to everyone. Over 42 years later, despite phenomenal success, Tom Cruise is still that very same person."

Top Gun: Maverick also won Best Stunt Ensemble at this year's Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday. The film is nominated for six Oscars at the March 12 Academy Awards, which Kimmel will once again host.

Tack on to Maverick's accolades the fact that Steven Spielberg, Cruise's Minority Report and War of the Worlds director, praised the star recently for saving "Hollywood's ass." Top Gun: Maverick was the second movie to cross $1 billion at the box office in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic (following Spider-Man: No Way Home). It is currently the fifth highest-grossing movie of all time in North America and the 12th highest-grossing movie of all time worldwide.

"You might have saved theatrical distribution," Spielberg told Cruise in a video shared on Instagram by director Kartiki Gonsalves. "Seriously, Top Gun: Maverick might have saved the entire theatrical industry."

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