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Revisit Val Kilmer's Iconic Top Gun Character Amid His Tragic Demise at 65; Find Out How He Got the Nickname Iceman
Val Kilmer's Iceman is an absolute fan favorite for Top Gun stans. Revisit how Lt. Tom got his famous nickname.
Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of death
Val Kilmer has played many memorable characters throughout his decades-long career, but one that stands out above all is Lt. Tom Iceman Kazansky. As the industry mourns the loss of one of its greats, let's revisit one of the most iconic roles Val Kilmer portrayed on screen.
Kilmer's character in Top Gun gained the catchy nickname Iceman for the way he flew. The main character Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, played by Tom Cruise, is introduced to him by his friend. It's explained to Cruise and the audience that Kazansky is known for his stone-cold and cool approach to flying; he eventually becomes Maverick's rival.
Goose who's portrayed by Anthony Edwards reveals, "That's the way he flies: Ice cold. No mistakes. He just wears you down. You get bored, frustrated, do something stupid, and he's got you." At first, Iceman isn't the biggest fan of Cruise's character, condemning the dangerous way he goes about flying his jet. Though, slowly but surely, the duo ends up becoming friends with Lt. Tom coming to respect Maverick.
What many fans might not know is originally Kilmer had no interest in playing Iceman, going as far as to call it "silly" and "warmongering", he revealed in his 2021 Documentary, Val. The only reason he took the part was out of contractual obligations. He revealed, "None of us knew at the time what a crazy commercial success the film would be. All of a sudden I was being catapulted into the celebrity stratosphere, and for the rest of my life I would be called Iceman by every pilot at every airport I went to."
In his 2020 memoir, I'm Your Huckleberry, he revealed, that he was so disinterested in the role that he showed up to the audition looking like a "fool." He explained, "I wore oversize gonky Australian shorts in nausea green. I read the lines indifferently. And yet, amazingly, I was told I had the part." Which he admits he wasn't all that happy about.
However, from what we know now, Kilmer eventually came to care about the character which ended up being part of one of the biggest Hollywood classics.
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