Tom Cruise Admits He ‘Was Crying’ During Val Kilmer Reunion in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’: ‘He Instantly Became Iceman Again’
Zack Sharf It stands with good reason that if any scene made you cry in “Top Gun: Maverick,” it was the emotional reunion between Tom Cruise’s Maverick and Val Kilmer’s Iceman. Kilmer had not acted in years after losing the ability to speak due to undergoing throat cancer treatment in 2014. But the actor returned for an emotional scene in the blockbuster “Top Gun” sequel. Suffice to say, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Kilmer had his big screen reunion with Tom Cruise, 36 years after the original “Top Gun.” The moment was so powerful that not even Cruise could keep the tears in. “I just want to say that was pretty emotional. I’ve known Val for decades,” Cruise said during a recent appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” “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.”