'I was crying': Tom Cruise opens up on 'emotional' reunion with co-star Val Kilmer in 'Top Gun: Maverick'

'Top Gun: Maverick' soared past $1 billion at the worldwide box office
UPDATED FEB 26, 2023
Tom Cruise has revealed that emotions were running high as he reunited with 'Top Gun' co-star Val Kilmer (Paramount Pictures, Lia Toby/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)
Tom Cruise has revealed that emotions were running high as he reunited with 'Top Gun' co-star Val Kilmer (Paramount Pictures, Lia Toby/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)

Hollywood, California: Tom Cruise has revealed that emotions were running high as he reunited with Top Gun co-star Val Kilmer after more than three decades in 'Top Gun: Mevrick'. It comes as "Top Gun: Maverick" soared past $1 billion at the worldwide box office. 

"I just want to say that was pretty emotional, I’ve known Val for decades," Cruise said during an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live." "For him to come back and play that character..."

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'I was crying, I got emotional. He is such a brilliant actor and I love his work'

The 'Top Gun: Mevrick' star continued, "...He is such a powerful actor, that he instantly became that character again…you are just looking at Iceman." Kimmel asked if he cried when they shot the scene, joking was that only me? To which Tom replied, "I was crying, I got emotional. He is such a brilliant actor and I love his work."

'I can jump off a cliff but not go on snowboarding'

"That really was quite a moment in the movie", the host said, adding "it is not just stunts," to which the Mission impossible star replied there are "Tears" too. Cruise added that he can "jump off a cliff but not go on snowboarding" as he was asked what he is allowed or not allowed to do. 

Cruise added that since the coronavirus pandemic shook the world, he’s ecstatic when he reunites with his colleagues. With "COVID… I haven’t been able to see my friends for many, many years." The 60-year-old actor claimed that when he is 80 or 100 years old, he might still be performing his own stunts. "I’m planning on it… I’ve been doing it my whole life as a kid. I was always working on stories and writing skits even when I was a little kid," he told the station.

Val Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015 which affected his voice because of tracheostomy

"Top Gun: Maverick" has become a top-grossing movie in Tom Cruises' career. It is nominated for six Oscars and best picture. Kimler who co-starred in the movie was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015. He was able to portray Iceman alongside Cruise, but the actor had trouble because of damage from a tracheostomy.

"I can't speak without plugging this hole [in his throat]. You have to make the choice to breathe or to eat," he explained to People Magazine in 2021. "It's an obstacle that is very present with whoever sees me."

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