You Won’t Believe How David Zucker Finally Became Val Kilmer’s Buddy After Years of Mystery!

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In the autumn of 1983, casting the main role for our film, “Top Secret!”, proved challenging for my brother Jerry, Jim Abrahams, and myself.

Back in the fall of 1983, casting the lead actor for our movie, “Top Secret!”, was proving quite tricky for my brother Jerry, Jim Abrahams, and I.

After numerous unsuccessful tries with various actors, our casting director, Susie Arnold, discovered a promising young talent performing in an off-Broadway production titled “Slab Boys“. Eager to meet this actor, we flew to New York City. There, we encountered Kevin Bacon, Sean Penn, and an obscure yet intriguing performer named Val Kilmer. I can’t remember much about the play, but his on-stage presence seemed compelling, suggesting he had acting skills. The following day, we invited him to our offices located on the 17th floor of the Gulf & Western building on Central Park South for a tryout.

As a captivated spectator, when he unexpectedly belted out Elvis’ “Turn Me Loose,” I couldn’t help but feel we had found our leading man. His knack for finding the humor and perfectly timed jokes left us in stitches, making him stand out as truly exceptional.

The film was filmed at Pinewood Studios in London utilizing an entirely British cast and crew. Despite Val’s usual dedication to his craft, we observed that he frequently appeared moody; it was challenging to anticipate which version of Val would appear each day, often appearing ill-at-ease as the fictional rock star character, Nick Rivers.

Looking back on it many years later, Jim Abrahams and I came to understand that here was a Juilliard-educated actor placed in the most absurd of films, sharing the screen with a cow wearing boots. Reflecting upon our own lack of training, we recognized after accumulating a wealth of experience that we had failed to create a genuine character with a full three-act storyline!

In his recently published memoir titled “I’m Your Huckleberry,” Val expressed his ongoing confusion about the plot of a certain movie. Consequently, I initially struggled to relate to him during our first two weeks together, attributing it to what appeared to be his mysterious dark side. However, three weeks into our filming, we unexpectedly found ourselves seated next to each other at a gathering in Jerry’s Chelsea apartment, both of us observing the joyous interactions of others. With a hidden darkness within me as well, I offhandedly commented, “I detest everyone!” In response, Val’s face brightened with a wide smile, and we instantly connected.

Meanwhile, we were all living it up on that film set, and from time to time, Val’s girlfriend, Cher, would drop by. I recall feeling quite irritated whenever she’d say to him, “This movie is absurdly foolish; it’s destined to fail…” Even though she turned out to be correct, I found her remarks quite bothersome at the moment.

Over the passing years, we’d occasionally cross paths at social gatherings, our lawyer’s office, movie premiers, and each encounter, he was always cordial, quite unlike typical Hollywood behavior, which I appreciated. We’d exchange greetings and share some nostalgic moments. The last time I bumped into him was a year ago outside my home; he had taken a nearby rental property.

At that point, he was quite unwell, yet we conversed for a spell, and I distinctly recall him showing astonishment over my exclusion from the forthcoming installment of The Naked Gun. Fresh off completing a script titled Naked Gun 4: Nordberg Did It, penned alongside talented writers Mike McManus and Pat Proft, who had previously collaborated with him on [the 1985 film] Real Genius. However, my surprise grew when I learned that Paramount had assigned the franchise to Seth MacFarlane!

Surprisingly, I was taken aback. Yet, the response from Kilmer, the veteran actor from four decades past, was nothing short of laughter as he nonchalantly remarked, “That’s Tinseltown!

Kilmer died Tuesday of pneumonia in Los Angeles. He was 65.

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2025-04-03 04:54