Tom Cruise pays tribute to Prime Gun co-star Val Kilmer

Tom Cruise has paid tribute to his Prime Gun co-star Val Kilmer, who died earlier this week aged 65.

Showing at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Cruise led a crowd in The Colosseum theatre in a second of silence to “honour a pricey pal of mine, Val Kilmer”.

“I am unable to let you know how a lot I admired his work, how a lot I considered him as a human being and the way grateful and honoured I used to be when he joined Prime Gun,” Cruise mentioned of Kilmer, who performed his rival Ice Man in Prime Gun in 1986.

The 2022 sequel Prime Gun: Maverick marked Kilmer’s final film function. Kilmer, additionally identified for his roles taking part in Batman and Jim Morrison in The Doorways, died Tuesday night time in Los Angeles.

In Las Vegas, Cruise bowed his head within the cavernous theatre, which was full of film theatre homeowners and others who work within the business.

“Thanks, Val – want you nicely in your subsequent journey,” Cruise mentioned afterwards.

Cruise was talking in the course of the Paramount Photos presentation at CinemaCon. He additionally confirmed off a sneak peek trailer of Mission: Unattainable – The Last Reckoning, which is ready to be launched later this yr, and honoured the movie’s director Christopher McQuarrie, who was named CinemaCon’s director of the yr.

The trailer confirmed Cruise, who is legendary for doing his personal stunts, in a collection of action-packed scenes – on fighter jets, in explosions and wing strolling on a classic airplane.

As Hollywood paid tribute to Kilmer, Cruise had been one of many few stars who waited to publicly commented on the actor’s loss of life.

The star has been vocal about how a lot he loved working with Kilmer. He mentioned on Jimmy Kimmel Reside! that he cried having him on set for Prime Gun: Maverick.

“I used to be crying, I used to be crying. I bought emotional,” Cruise mentioned on the present about working with Kilmer. “He is such a superb actor. I like his work.”

Kilmer’s household instructed US media that he died after coming down with a pneumonia. The actor had two tracheotomies whereas present process therapy for throat most cancers.

The procedures pressured him to make use of a voice field to talk, and within the 2022 movie, he varieties on a display screen to speak with Cruise’s character. Towards the tip of their scene collectively, Kilmer’s Iceman will get up from his chair and coarsely tells Cruise: “The Navy wants Maverick”.

The 2 embrace after which Iceman pokes enjoyable, questioning Cruise about who’s the higher pilot.