Blessed, Life and Films of Val Kilmer

by William Hamilton

  Famous people had an effect on the townspeople. Sam Shepard graciously showed up at Tome on the Range to sign copies of his book at owner Nancy Colalillo's request. Rose Marie Martinez had one big wish for her part as an extra: “I just want Val Kilmer to kiss my hita’s cheek,” she said, holding a dimpled Estrella on her lap. “I’ll never wash it again.”

  Amy Smart found working with Val challenging, “Each take you have no idea what is going to come out of his mouth and how, and how it’s going to go. He keeps you live and in the moment and ready, you know, be spontaneous with him.”

  Despite not having a huge budget, the cast is impressive, even without considering Val. Neve Campbell, Sam Shepard, Faye Dunaway, Amy Smart, Gil Bellows, Leo Fitzpatrick, Giancarlo Esposito, and Noble Willingham star in this crime drama. And Steve-O from MTV’s Jackass.

  Steve-O says, “The idea they came up with was to have the part consist Val kicking the crap out of me. I was excited, but my tour schedule simply didn’t make me available for the dates they could do it… until I realized that my tour was bringing me to Albuquerque, New Mexico and leaving me with three days off before my next show… It was a nightmare because I was no longer going through legitimate channels. I was yelling at Val’s personal assistant over the phone… Even though I was very pissed (maybe even rude), I think I remained constructive throughout. After all, it wasn’t my idea to have a part in the movie, it was theirs…(Eventually Val called and) He said something about who he was pissed at and I told him that there was nothing to be pissed about if we pulled it out of the fire by shooting the scene the following day. Val told me to hop in a cab and make it happen. Val set me up in a rad hotel room and when I made it to the set in the morning, I still didn’t have a part… During the lunch break, Val took out the newest and best one-chip DV cam there is, loaded a blank tape into it and started filming… I was stoked just to film all that funny stuff and then Val told me he wanted me to keep the killer video camera, And the tape in it… I actually wound up getting called to action to film the scene, it turned out to be quite different from what Val and I intended… I never wanted to be an actor and, today, I realized that I’m not an actor; I’m a movie star. Getting into this movie was a miracle and Val Kilmer made it happen. Thanks Val.”

  Spartan

  Spartan is the name so far for this thriller about a kidnapping of the daughter of an important political figure. David Mamet, The writer and director, doesn’t like the name, so it might change before the release date. They have also changed part of the plot from the president’s daughter to the daughter of a well-known political figure. This is one of the bigger budget films Val has starred in lately with an estimated budget of twenty million dollars.

  Derek Luke talks about his role; “I play the prodigy to Val Kilmer's character, who is (a) government official. We are part of (an) agency that goes deep undercover. And we’re out to discover this slave ring in this other country that I don’t want to name.”

  William H. Macy is exited about the movie, “Great script. Government espionage and malfeasance. Val Kilmer is the star. I play a bad guy, a really bad guy, a CIA bad guy. I play a guy that the bad guys are scared of!” Macy also called the director, “the greatest writer of our time.”

  “I was sitting on the set with Val Kilmer and David Mamet, and we were discussing my character. And all of the sudden David turns to me and asks me, ‘What do you think?’ And, I thought, what does it matter what I think, you’re David Mamet!” says Gurry. “The next day he shows up with a scene scribbled on paper for Val and I to do, something he had written overnight just for us. He let me keep the paper when he heard I was a big fan. It’s on my wall back at home as we speak.”

  Tom Hanson said the studio asked a few months ago to use his farm. While he opened his pick-your-own strawberry patches last weekend, he has held off stocking his farm stand until the shoot is done. “They were looking for a place like this on a rural country road with a little farm stand.”

  Hanson's Farm was transformed into a rural Pennsylvania feed and seed store complete with bags of horse feed, horse brushes and a brown hand lettered sign reading, “We have scrapple” -- a mainly Midwestern dish made from cornmeal and scraps of pork, mixed together, sliced and fried.

  ”We've been extras; my father and uncle were extras. They did a scene in the shop (Hanson's farm stand). I drove a tractor with a hay wagon through a scene.”

  The film’s art department transformed the farm stand into Mike’s Feed & Seed. They painted “Feed and Seed” in yellow across the side of the barn, brought in old Citgo gas pumps advertising gas for $1.57 and $1.63 a gallon and stacked feed supplies in and around the farm stand.

  Buckley said people stopped by the farm to use the air pump, brought in as a prop by the film crew. “People came in and said, ‘The air pump isn’t working.’ I said it’s on (a base) right now, and it’s not working.”

  Filming on a farm and in Boston gave the film a lot of attention from the locals; everything seemed to be going well when David Mamet had an allergic reaction to a bug that bit him. Production was set back a few days, which wrecked havoc on their schedule in Boston. So the filmmakers scrambled to re-work their location permits. Besides the shooting in Boston, there was a two-day shoot in London.

  Some quotes about Val and the other actors from the movie:

  Kick Gurry: “Val’s been good ... Val's been really good.”

  Kristen to director Mamet: “How is it working with the different actors?”

  David Mamet: “It’s great working with different actors and I’ve never found an actor more different than Val Kilmer!”

  Bell to Kilmer: “How do you like working with Dave Mamet?”

  Val Kilmer: “When I do, I’ll let you know!”

  Bell to Kilmer: “How do you like working with Kick Gurry?”

  Val Kilmer: “I told you, it’s the longest four years of my life!”

  Tia Texada on Val Kilmer: “He’s crazy, that boy is crazy! In a good way!”

  Val Kilmer: “I’m not crazy ... I’m committed.”

  Tia Texada: “Working with [Kilmer] is wonderful. He’ll pull things out of you and that’s always very respectable when you’re working with someone.”

  Derek Luke (on Val): “I’ll be your huckleberry! (laughs) Yeah, I’m a fan of Val’s. I didn’t tell him but, you know, who’s not a fan of Val Kilmer? He's incredible. I mean, what you see is what you get.”

  Kick Gurry “He’s just been the coolest guy. He’s one of the most generous actors I’ve ever met.”

  Gurry also said that on one particularly sweltering day, Val organized a van full of cold drinks and ice creams for the cast and crew. “Val really took me under his wing . . . we have the same sense of humour.”

  Tom Hanson, the owner of the farm they filmed on, says, “Val Kilmer was working hard all day and not really talking to the crowd early on, but later in the day where he was less in demand, he became friendly and talked with the crowd of locals that had gathered. I spoke a few words to him, but he was focused on the scenery, the heat, the horses, (he said he had some as well, etc.) and doing some local shopping.”

  Stateside/Sinners

  Reverge Anselmo will direct and write the film under his Seven Hills Pictures banner, which he formed in 1996. The multi-starred cast includes Joe Mantegna, Rachael Leigh Cook, Jonathan Tucker, Agnes Bruckner, Carrie Fisher, Ed Begley Jr. and Diane Venora.

  Robert Greenhut and Bonnie Hlinomaz will produce the movie, Greenhut comments on the announcement of Val and Joe Mantegna joining the production, “We are thrilled to add two more great actors to a cast that has turned out to be a fine ensemble. The material has really attracted fantastic talent and to be based out of New York and Wilmington, what could be better.”

  Delgo

  One of Val’s biggest success stories is “Prince of Egypt,” and you know how Hollywood loves to repeat its past successes. Many stars also appear in the first independently produced computer-animated
feature in the U.S.. Star include, Kelly Ripa, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Michael Clarke Duncan, Chris Kattan, Eric Idle, Burt Reynolds, and Lou Gossett, Jr..

  “Delgo” is a fantasy adventure film, and is the first theatrical production from Atlanta-based Fathom Studios.

  “Louis Gossett, Jr. is a legendary talent and a wonderful man,” says Marc F. Adler, producer and co-director. “His voice is very unique and the creativity he lends to his performance is inspiring. Lou has been an absolute joy to work with and we are thrilled to have him involved with the film.”

  Adler comments on the announcement that Jennifer Love-Hewitt and Chris Kattan joined the cast, “Jennifer has amazing range and her personal charm comes through in everything she does. Chris is one of the funniest men in Hollywood. We cannot imagine anyone else voicing these roles.”

  And Hewitt loved getting the role, “I am thrilled to be a part of this movie. Princess Kyla is very cool and fun; girls will really love her. The look of ‘Delgo’ is unlike anything I’ve seen before and the story has a lot of heart.”

  “I am so excited to be a part of ‘Delgo,’” says Ripa. “It’s a beautiful family film that will be as much fun for parents as it will be for their kids. My son came to the recording session and was mesmerized by the stunning animation-he also had a lot of fun directing me! It’s a great story with an important message of tolerance. I’m very impressed that an independent studio in Atlanta can create such amazing imagery and I had so much fun working with them.”

  ”Kelly Ripa is one of those people who is just as advertised,” said producer and co-director, Marc F. Adler. “She is charming, fun, professional, and the hardest working woman in show business. We’re thrilled to have her on board.”

  Burt Reynolds says, “Fathom Studios is doing stunning work and the studio itself is inspiring. I am very proud to be a part of the first animated film being produced in my home state of Georgia.”

  “We are thrilled to be working with Burt,” said co-director, Jason F. Maurer. “His unique voice and innate charm will instantly connect audiences with his character.”

  All in all this seems like it will be an important movie in the history of animation, and Val will be there.

  Mark

  Val doesn’t say as much about his brother Mark as he did with Wesley, although he does report he was the class clown. The brothers have had some problems since their father’s death over property left to them by their father, and comments made publicly by Mark regarding Val’s divorce from Joanne. Val doesn’t have a lot to say on the subject, “Yeah, that’s true. I haven’t talked to him in quite a long while. But there’s nothing I can really say about it, because even if I expressed myself perfectly here, he might not like the way it came out.”

  Alexander

  November 24, 2004

  Oliver Stone’s epic historical saga of one of the greatest figures of world history is about as good of a movie for Val to be in as any. This will be the sort of movie they throw Oscars at. The cast is excellent, Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins Jared Leto Rosario Dawson and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers star in the historical biography.

  Oliver Stone says, “Actually starting production on this movie about Alexander the Great is the culmination of 13 years of hard work for me, although my fascination with him goes back even further than that. In the spirit of Alexander, Colin Farrell is a force of nature, a defiant, rebellious young man who happens to be a hell of a good actor. It’s a great story and Colin is the right actor for the part. We’re determined to bring the story to life and do justice to Alexander the Great.”

  Dale Dye, the second unit director talks about the film, “it’s going to be a look at how brilliantly he used what we would consider primitive technology and what an extraordinary tactician he was. We’re going to look at why people loved him, why they were following him for the years and years it took for him to campaign and virtually conquer the known world.”

  Producer and Intermedia (the production company responsible for the film) chairman Moritz Borman, “Over the past few years there's been so much talk throughout the industry of bringing Alexander the Great’s story to the screen, and here we are in Morocco with the cameras finally turning, and Oliver Stone -- with an incredible cast and crew -- behind them. Alexander's story is so ambitious and complex, and Oliver has written an extraordinary script which captures the man in all of his myriad facets. Oliver Stone’s movie will combine great spectacle with riveting, intimate drama.”

  Director Baz Luhrmann also is making a film about Alexander the Great, Borman comments, “I’m long past caring about them. If Leo wants to play Alexander the Second Great, that's fine, and if somebody figures it is wise to spend $170 million or so to do another picture on Alexander before seeing ours, they should. I’ve seen stupider decisions.”

  Producer Dino De Laurentiis talks about why they pushed their release date back a year, “This huge preparation can’t be done in less than eight or nine months.”

  But even with a great cast and a head start, the Intermedia’s fate now rests on this film, with an investment of somewhere between $150-200 million-- the largest independent European production ever.

  Filming will take place in Morocco, England and Thailand, and perhaps in India and Spain. Stone first wanted to film in Morocco since 1990 when he first thought of the project because of the diverse landscape that could be used to portray the many countries Alexander conquered. He talks about his producer, Moritz Borman, “He was the only producer who didn’t pull out of Morocco after the bombings (in Casablanca) in May, when other Hollywood producers pulled out and bad-mouthed the country.”

  Colin Farrell accidentally stabbed co-star Gary Stretch’s during a fight scene. Stretch was rushed to the hospital, however the injury wasn’t serious and he went back to work the next day.

  The prophet

  The Church of Latter Day Saints, also known as Mormons, have commissioned a film about the founder of their faith and writer of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith. Val was in negotiations to play the lead role, but controversy has arisen about choosing Val because of his image. It’s now uncertain that Val has the role, and its not clear if this was Val’s choice or the churches.

  Collateral

  Nothing is for sure yet, but Val might reunite with “Heat” director Michael Mann and “Top Gun” co-star Tom Cruise for the DreamWorks Pictures/Paramount Pictures thriller “Collateral.”

  A Killer Inside Me

  This movie, once seemingly dead, might resurface. Val had bought the rights to the movie, but then lost them when the movie deal never came through. Val describes the movie as a “Black Comedy.” The movie will be based on the Jim Thompson's novel of the same name about “A serial killer - just like every other sheriff in Texas!” Val joked to the audience of the Maverick Spirit Awards. “I can joke about Texas, because my dad is from Texas!”

  Mindhunters

  Where do you film if you want to capture the heart and feel of North Carolina? That’s right, the Netherlands. Hollywood has never been very picky about these things, and apparently it’s much cheaper to film in the Netherlands.

  Mindhunters is a sign that Val is on a comeback, he has gotten himself a lead role in a film with many other stars: LL Cool J, Christian Slater, Patricia Velasques, Kathryn Morris and Antonie Kamerling.

  Director Renny Harlin talks about finishing the film, “The editing process is underway, and I am very enthusiastic about putting this film together. Thrillers rely heavily on the pacing, and sometimes finding the right timing and punctuation in a scene can take a few tries. I am working hard with my editors in order to put together highly suspenseful sequences to balance out the action and the drama as the story unfolds.”

  “We have begun our visual effects work as well. The film will feature quite a few complicated effects, and numerous artists are at work creating various shots for the film. For me, post production is one of the most exciting parts of film making. Watching all of our hard work come t
ogether is both challenging and rewarding. I am looking forward to creating a tension-filled, suspenseful action-drama that will keep you guessing until the last frame fades to black.”

  One of the main sets is an old radio facility in the cold, dreary Dutch countryside. The classic art-deco building was dismantled by the Nazis before the outbreak of the Second World War and is now transformed into the dark set of this psychological thriller.

  According to Mr. Harlin, “The biggest challenge, is to make it look like an island because the story is supposed to take place on an island off the coast of Carolina. We actually physically have to make it look like there’s an ocean around them, outside the windows of the facility. Other than that there’s not a huge amount of visual effects work.”

  “There’s no concentration like a night-time shoot because when its daytime people are worrying about their dry cleaning and their dog and their girlfriend. But when its nighttime the movie set is like a boxing ring in a big arena: there are bright lights right there, but outside there’s nothing. So everybody has to concentrate only on the movie.”

  “It’s all my fault! When you see the film you can blame me! When we were developing the screenplay we decided it would not be the kind of movie where somebody just kills people with a knife. The killer is imaginative, so every death is completely different, every death is a trap, and we spent a lot of time thinking how each person will meet his maker and how to make it clever and surprising, yet not too outlandish.”

  “When you look at ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ or ‘Se7en’ or ‘The Shining,’ there is a certain amount of blood, and ‘Mindhunters’ is part of this genre. Even if you look at Hitchcock movies and you think you didn’t see so much, but if you go back, there is often more than you remember. It’s part of this genre and it’s also a thriller, and while I’m not making it too excessive, it’s appropriate for scaring people. My goal is that I’ll scare people. I want people to be covering their eyes, not because of the blood, but because they will feel they are in the situation themselves.”