Tom Cruise recalls ‘crying’ over last meeting with Val Kilmer before death

Tom Cruise, who just lost his Top Gun co-star, Val Kilmer, recalled their last emotional reunion in a resurfaced interview.

The 62-year-old actor starred alongside Kilmer in Top Gun: Maverick in 2022, after his cancer diagnosis and following recovery.

The Mission Impossible star remembered his emotional reaction in his 2023 interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, which is making rounds on the internet again after Kilmer passed away.

Kilmer, who played the role of Lt. Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in the classic film, died of pneumonia on Tuesday, April 1st, at the age of 65.

Seeing Kilmer at the set of Top Gun: Maverick, Cruise said in the interview, “I just want to say that was pretty emotional.”

The Oscar winner continued, “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.”

He admitted, “I was crying, I was crying. I got emotional. He’s such a brilliant actor, I love his work.”

Following the film’s release in 2022, Cruise gushed about working with the star in the sequel, in a conversation with People Magazine.

“I’ve always admired his work, his talent,” the actor said at the time, adding: “We get together… we just start laughing. It was special to have him back. It meant a lot to me,” he said at the time.