What the Hell Happened to Val Kilmer?
What the hell happened?
In the 80′s, Val Kilmer was Tom Cruise’s rival both on-screen and off. Top Gun launched the actor to super stardom and Batman cemented his status at the top of the A-list. But then, Kilmer’s career spiraled out of control. Today, the former sex symbol is a bloated tabloid joke and his movies go straight to video.
What the hell happened?
Kilmer began his career as a stage actor. At the age of 17, he became the youngest person at the time to be accepted into the Juilliard School’s Drama Division. He turned down a role in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film, The Outsiders (which co-starred future Maverick, Tom Cruise) due to prior theater obligations. In 1983, he appeared Off Broadway in “The Slab Boys” with Kevin Bacon and Sean Penn.
Kilmer transitioned from stage to screen with an ABC Afterschool Special about the dangers of drunk driving titled One Too Many. And yes, that is a young Michelle Pfeiffer as his co-star. Kilmer was so taken with Pfieffer that he wrote a book of poems entitled My Eden After Burns that included poems inspired by the future Catwoman. Pfeiffer was married to the director, Peter Horton at the time.
I believe a clip is in order.
Kilmer’s first big break came in 1984 when he landed the lead role in the Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker spoof, Top Secret.
Kilmer played an American rock and roll star in the mold of Elvis Presley who gets roped into the world of espionage while touring East Germany. Kilmer sang all of his own songs and released an album under his character’s name.
The film got mixed reviews and disappointed at the box office. Top Secret opened at #7 beaten out by both Rhinestone and The Karate Kid. But over time, Top Secret has become a cult film. While it’s not a classic like Airplane!, it is better than your average spoof with many genuinely funny moments.
Co=director Jim Abrahams, remembered conflicts with Kilmer even at the start of his career. ”We would all butt heads when we couldn’t define a motivation for his character. He wanted to know who Nick Rivers was and why he would say things, and in the context of a parody, you think, ‘Is it really so important?”’
The following year, Kilmer starred in another cult comedy classic, 1985′s Real Genius.
Kilmer played a student at a school for geniuses who is building a laser for his senior project. Although his character is not the lead, Kilmer steals the show with a manic performance. He delivers one quotable punchline after another.
Producer, Brian Grazer described Kilmer’s on-set behavior thusly: ”He would just evaporate. No one could find him.” He went on to say, ”There’s always a point when I work with him when I vow not to work with him again.”
In spite of mostly positive reviews, Real Genius also disappointed at the box office. But like Top Secret!, it has gained cult status on video.
Kilmer followed up lead roles in two quirky comedies with the 1986 smash, Top Gun directed by Tony Scott.
Although it received mixed reviews, Top Gun tapped into the nation’s swelling patriotism during the Reagan years and became a huge hit at the box office.
Its success cemented Tom Cruise as a box office star and changed Kilmer’s career forever. In the film, Kilmer plays Tom Cruise’s rival, Iceman. Reportedly, the rivalry carried over into real life. Rumors have swirled for years of an on-set fist fight between Kilmer and Cruise although what exactly happened has never been confirmed. Supposedly, Kilmer knocked Cruise out cold.
Kilmer came out on top in the short term. But who’s laughing now, Ice Man?
Top Gun took Kilmer from quirky comedian into action hunk territory. In 1988, he tried to cement his leading-man status in the George Lucas-produced fantasy, Willow. Unfortunately, Willow was closer to Howard the Duck than Star Wars.
The reviews were mixed, though most enjoyed Kilmer’s humorous take on the reluctant hero. Willow failed to live up to expectations at the box office. Despite the good notices, Kilmer was not yet a star.
In 1989, Kilmer’s rise to fame suffered a set-back. He starred opposite his Willow co-star and future wife, Joanne Whalley in the thriller, Kill Me Again. The movie was trashed by critics and bombed at the box office. He also appeared in a TV movie about Billy the Kid.
Kilmer’s next significant role was as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s biopic, The Doors.
The Doors co-starred MacLachlan and Meg Ryan. Kilmer reportedly spent several thousand dollars of his own money to film a video of himself as Morrison in order to land the role. Kilmer’s intense dedication to the role is evident on-screen and in his musical performances.
While most critics praised Kilmer, the film itself got mostly negative reviews and underperformed at the box office.
Kilmer followed up The Doors with Thunderheart in 1992.
This time, the reviews were mostly positive. But the Native American-themed mystery didn’t catch on with audiences. Although it has generated a small cult following over the years.
Kilmer admitted to conflicts with director Michael Apted. ”I drove him crazy, and he said so right away. I wasn’t satisfied with certain aspects of the story, so I kept working on them…. I’m very unhappy when I don’t know what I’m doing or not given the facility to find out.”
1993 was a busy year for Kilmer. It started off slowly with the utterly forgettable Kim Basinger heist movie, The Real McCoy. The couple had so little chemistry on-screen that it caused Basinger’s Vicki Vale to be written out of Batman Forever.
When Michael Keaton was set to star in the third Batman film, Warner Brothers wanted to bring back Basinger’s Vicki Vale character from the first film. But when Keaton left and Kilmer took on the role, the studio remembered how they stunk up the screen in The Real McCoy and decided to create a new love interest for Kilmer’s Batman.
According to one exec on the set of The Real McCoy, Kilmer once became enraged when a scene wasn’t altered to his liking. Kilmer reportedly started firing his prop gun at a car.
Later that year, Kilmer co-starred opposite Kurt Russell in the western, Tombstone.
Tombstone had a lot working against it. Kevin Costner was developing his own Wyatt Earp biopic with director Lawrence Kasdan. Costner put pressure on other studios not to release the competing Earp movie. The only studio that would defy Costner was Buena Vista.
The writer and original director of Tombstone, Kevin Jarre, and Kurt Russell both wanted to cast Willem Dafoe as Doc Holiday. But Buena Vista refused based on Dafoe’s role in the controversial Last Temptation of Christ. Since no other studio would touch the movie, Jarre and Russell went with their second choice, Kilmer.
Kilmer clashed with Jarre as a director. Years later, Kilmer told a reporter about an argument over Kilmer’s wardrobe. ”I found it a little inconvenient that the first director insisted on our wearing real wool. ‘It has to be real wool. You can tell the difference.’ Well, you can’t, Kevin Jarre — you can’t tell the difference between real wool and any blend, even in a macro close-up, okay?”
Early into production, Jarre was fired as director. On the recommendation of Sylvester Stallone, Russell enlisted George P. Cosmatos to direct. Cosmatos had directed Stallone in Rambo and Cobra. After Cosmatos’ death, Russell claimed that he had actually directed Tombstone himself and Cosmatos served as a ghost director.
In the battle of the Wyatt Earp films, Tombstone came out on top. Costner’s Earp was an expensive flop.
While it’s really a footnote in his career, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Val Kilmer’s appearance as an Elvis-like apparition in 1993′s Quentin Tarrantino-written and Tony Scott-directed True Romance.
True Romance starred Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette. Kilmer’s role is really just one of many cameos in the film. But it gave the actor a certain amount of street cred among the film’s cult fans. (Brad Pitt’s cameo was the best though!)
By now, Kilmer had paid his dues. With 1995′s Batman Forever, it was finally time for him to make the A-list. When Michael Keaton decided he was rich enough not to have to deal with any more shitty Batman movies, Val Kilmer was picked to usher in the Age of Schumacher.
Opinions on Kilmer’s turn as Batman are divided. For my money, he looked okay in the Batsuit. But he slept-walked through his scenes as Bruce Wayne.
In recent interviews, Joel Schumacher picked Kilmer as the best screen Batman. Over Keaton. Over Bale. Even over Adam West. You might think this is unsurprising given that Schumacher cast Kilmer in the role. But remember, Schumacher would go on to fire him before Batman and Robin.
Despite the fact that nobody really liked it very much, Batman Forever was a huge hit at the box office. It was lighter and more kid-friendly than the previous Batman movie which gave Joel Schumacher a lot of pull with Warner Brothers when it came time to make a sequel.
This was unfortunate for Kilmer. His on-set antics put him at odds with Schumacher. Schumacher claimed that the fights escalated into a shoving match. The end result was that Kilmer was out as Batman after only one film.
Schumacher recounted working with Kilmer on Batman Forever. “He was being irrational and ballistic with the first AD, the cameraman, the costume people. He was badly behaved, rude and inappropriate…We had two weeks where he did not speak to me, but it was bliss.”
In 1995, Kilmer also appeared in a supporting role in Michael Mann’s Heat. The buzz on Heat was all about the pairing of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. To the degree that it’s actually easy to forget that Kilmer’s in the film.
Much like True Romance, Heat adds to Kilmer’s street cred if nothing else. And you know he had to love appearing in a film with two screen icons.
In 1996 Kilmer appeared opposite another screen icon in the infamous Island of Dr. Moreau. This turkey has to be seen to be believed. On the level of a surreal piece of camp, it’s a hoot with Marlon Brando under pounds of pancake make-up and Kilmer just being batshit crazy.
The legendary Brando was unimpressed with Kilmer’s on-set behavior and told him so saying, “You are confusing your talent with the size of your paycheck.”
Ouch.
Kilmer’s antics on Moreau are the stuff of legend. He was going through a divorce from Willow co-star Joanne Whalley at the time and decided he wanted his part reduced by 40%.
This forced director Richard Stanley to recast him in a smaller role and to give the lead role to Rob Morrow. Kilmer then thanked Stanley for his flexibility by getting him fired. Morrow realized he was on a sinking ship and he bailed with the canned director.
Reportedly, Kilmer also burned a cameraman with a cigarette and drove veteran director John Frankenheimer insane.
Frankenheimer told the press, “There are two things I will never ever do in my whole life. The first is that I will never climb Mt. Everest. The second is that I will never work with Val Kilmer ever again.” When Kilmer filmed his last scene, Frankenheimer cried to the crew “Now get that bastard off my set!”
Kilmer rebounded later that year with the Michael Douglas film, The Ghost and the Darkness. Once again, Kilmer played a somewhat unstable and unlikable foil. The film was a mild hit despite mixed reviews. But after Dr. Moreau, it must have felt like a grand slam.
Kilmer received a Razzie nomination that year for Worst Supporting Actor for his work in The Ghost and the Darkness and The Island of Dr. Moreau.
In 1997, Kilmer made an attempt to return to the spotlight with the big screen adaptation of TV’s The Saint.
The Saint had been in production limbo for years. Several famous actors turned down the role before Kilmer finally agreed to star. When he was cast, Kilmer insisted on a rewrite by Wesley Strick to make thr script more to his liking.
The film was directed by Philip Noyce and co-starred Elisabeth Shue. The original cut of the film included Shue’s character’s death about two thirds of the way through the movie. But audience didn’t like Shue’s death and so the movie was recut with a happier ending.
Ultimately, The Saint got mixed reviews and disappointed at the box office. The planned franchise stalled out after just one movie.
Kilmer followed-up The Saint with voice-over work as Moses in Dreamwork’s pre-Shrek Old Testament cartoon, The Prince of Egypt in 1998.
And in 1999, he played a blind dude who found love with Mira Sorvino. I’m just now realizing that Val Kilmer is like the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon when it comes to What the Hell Happened? Somehow, career implosion is never far behind with this guy.
Kilmer’s next starring role was in the sci-fi dud, Red Planet. Sadly, I know I’ve seen this movie. But for the life of me, I can’t remember a damned thing about it. I keep getting it confused with the equally forgettable Mission to Mars starring Lt. Dan.
The most notable thing about Red Planet was yet another Kilmer feud. This time it was with co-star Tom Sizemore whom Kilmer refused to address by name.
By this point, the main stream roles started to dry up for Kilmer. The next movie of any note was probably 2003′s Wonderland in which Kilmer played porn star John Holmes. Wonderland promised to be an edgy art film. But reviews were mixed and audiences skipped it.
Kilmer’s career was entering free fall with many of his movies going straight to video. Oliver Stone attempted a rescue by casting Kilmer as the fat, one-eyed king of Macedon in 2004′s Alexander. Unfortunately, Alexander was an infamous bomb which at best contributed to Kilmer’s career spiral.
Thank god, Angelina Jolie escaped unharmed. Colin Farrel wasn’t so lucky.
Kilmer got another shot at redemption in 2005′s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang co-starring with future Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. Downey was rehabbing his career after legal entanglements from years of drug use. In a show of solidarity, Kilmer pledged not to drink during the entire 3-month shoot.
Notice, he didn’t say anything about staying sober…
While the critics were kind to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, audiences were not. Downey would go on to a remarkable rebound with box office hits like Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes. Kilmer would go on to voice the car in the Knight Rider re-do.
But Val Kilmer would not go silently into that good night (rider). He still pops up from time to time in movies like The Bad Lieutenant and MacGruber. Almost no one sees these movies, but he’s in them.
So, what the hell happened? Obviously, Kilmer burned a lot of bridges. You’ll find some people who will defend Kilmer and his dedication to his craft. But the reason they have to defend Kilmer is that he has acted like a prima donna to such an extent that even people in Hollywood who are used to dealing with prima donnas got sick of his shit and decided they didn’t want to play with him anymore.
Also, there’s this:
There’s no other way to put this. Val Kilmer got fat. And not just flabby. He got pregnant-man fat.
Now, I’m not one to make fun of a middle-aged guy putting on some weight. Brother, I’ve been there. But when you make millions of dollars in a job that is contingent on staying in shape, maybe you should listen to the nutritionist and put the donuts down.
I mean, most of us sit behind a desk for 40+ hours a week and then have to deal with kids and chores. Yeah, we let ourselves go. But stars like Kilmer have resources that aren’t available to the common man. Which makes it hard to believe that Ice Man can turn into a beached whale.
Eventually, they just went ahead and made him King of Bacchus at Mardis Gras for Fat Tuesday in 2009.
Just when it seemed like Kilmer couldn’t sink any lower, he did this to Paris Hilton:
My eyes! My eyes! Make it stop!
What have I missed? Bad career choices, tabloid scandals, drug use, alcoholism, weight gain, on-set temper tantrums, fist fights, tonguining a hotel heiress, and The Island of Dr. Moreau. I think that just about covers what the hell happened to Val Kilmer.
More “What the Hell Happened?”
Kim Basinger Thora Birch Matthew Broderick Nicolas Cage Phoebe Cates Chevy Chase Kevin Costner Geena Davis Bridget Fonda Brendan Fraser Mel Gibson Cuba Gooding Jr. Heather Graham Melanie Griffith Steve Guttenberg Daryl Hannah Helen Hunt Michael Keaton Nicole Kidman Val Kilmer Jude Law Jennifer Jason Leigh Penelope Ann Miller Demi Moore Rick Moranis Eddie Murphy Mike Myers Michelle Pfeiffer Molly Ringwald Meg Ryan Winona Ryder Arnold Schwarzenegger Steven Seagal Elisabeth Shue Alicia Silverstone Christian Slater Mira Sorvino Wesley Snipes Sharon Stone Mena Suvari Uma Thurman John Travolta Kathleen Turner Robin Williams Debra Winger Sean Young Renee Zellweger
Posted on May 5, 2011, in Movies, What the Hell Happened? and tagged Batman, entertainment, movies, the saint, tombstone, top gun, val kilmer, willow. Bookmark the permalink. 241 Comments.
Hmm… very interesting… I ran across Val Kilmir’s name and your blog while searching for the meaning of “dooties” (Doyle used the word in one of his Sherlock Holmes stories).
Hmm… I was wondering what ever happened to him.
Last time I saw him was as Batman in Batman Returns.
So he’s mischievious on sets, is he?… Hmm… well…
You may have just solved a mystery for me. I’ve always wondered how during the filming I might have got hit on my butt by Kilmer’s bat rope.
Glad to have helped solve an age-old mystery
damn It was like watching a train wreck. I couldn’t look away. I wish I could have stopped myself at least before the fat pictures. sigh. Thanks for the info. I needed to know, I guess but I prefer to remember him when he was my huckleberry.
You know I’m surpirsed I’ve found this blog because oh boy I’m reading all your articles about “what happened..” , the thing it bother me it’s just he had the “talent” to go on but he decided to spend it with bad stuff.
Right now I’m watching two brothers and he was there also John the king (if I reckon the name but I don’t remember we’ll the movie so I’m sorry if I did a mistake) he was good but there’s is something about him that it bother me.
Nice article I will try to follow you.
Ps. By the way do you know what happened to whoopi Goldberg? She remind me of Danny devito (the way they left their career but when they appeard is like a good “welcome”)
I’m glad you’re enjoying the site.
Oscar aside, Whoopi was always more of a personality than an actress. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a talented actress. But she is a big personality who could be hard to cast. Factor in age, race and having a unique screen persona and I imagine roles bacame harder to come by. However, she did successfully transition into being a TV personality on The View and other shows.
Val Kilmer’s performance as Doc Holliday in Tombstone was perfect. Unfortunately, Tommy Lee Jones won the Oscar for “The Fugitive” that year and I don’t even think Kilmer was nominated. Kilmer just became too full of himself (his over-the-top performance in “The Saint” proved that…) and you are right on that nobody in Hollywood wants to “play” with him anymore. By the way, couldn’t find a way to email you on this blog. why not add a a “Whatever the Hell Happened to” suggestion box for your subscribers? There are several personalities I’d like to suggest or find out where they are now. Great job; love your blog (it’s the only one to which I subscribe).
Thanks for the kind words. I’m glad you’ve been enjoying the site.
Generally, I try to keep up with the comments section. And I do take suggestions I receive there. I recently set up an e-mail address for Le Blog. But due to computer issues, I haven’t been checking it yet. If you’d like to e-mail me, feel free to do so at lebeauleblog@gmail.com.
I don’t know how I ended up on this site, but I enjoyed the article and accompanying blast from the past sensations remembering these films (funny, I liked The Saint. A lot.)
Val Kilmer looks suspiciously like he has an autoimmune disease, not just overweight. You notice with Kathleen Turner, for example, that she looks puffy and bloated… and she has RA. Val Kilmer looks that way, too, and in some of his photos he has what looks like a rosy “butterfly rash” across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose that would be indicative of lupus. I have both RA and lupus, I wouldn’t wish that to happen to anyone.
I’m glad you found us and that you’re enjoying the site.
I’m unaware of Kilmer having any physical illness. Clearly, he has addition issues and very likely mental ones as well. It’s possible he’s hiding physical problems like you have described. Turner managed to keep her illness a secret for a long time. But I suspect the symptoms you are describing have more to do with the chemicals he has been ingesting than an actual disease.
I have always liked Val Kilmer, and for the most part I still do. True he is on a downward spiral, but i think that is true of a lot of celebrities. I have a feeling (dont ask how I know this, I dont), but I think he will make a come-back. I also believe he is losing weight. I have seen some recent pics of him and he looks a little slimmer. Has he remarried? Just wondering to who?
I don’t know about a comeback, but I do know Kilmer has not remarried.
As always, I wish him the best.
Yeah, all that direct to DVD schlock he did probably ruined any chance at a comeback. He could wind up doing cameos in some popular films down the road, but I doubt he’ll be the headlining star.
I like your new avatar, by the way.
Thanks. I figured it was time for something a little more suitable for this site.
I won’t even tell you how long it took me to change it. Or what the incredibly stupid hang-up was.
Could you do a WTHHT Christian Slater? I just watched a True Romance trailer and he was really awesome in that one, alongside Kilmer’s cameo Elvis role
Don’t tell anyone, but Slater is next!
If your ever watching Heat keep a close eye on kilmer in a few scenes try to look at his elbow IT IS ALL MESSED UP LOOKING I hope someone watches it and sees it. It looks like the worst case of swellbow I have ever seen
You are right Scott. I saw that movie recently and his elbow looks gross. What happened to it?
Val broke his arm while filming The Doors.
He performed a jump from the stage into the crowd and the stuntman failed to catch him.
Best thread of comments in the history of Le Blog. Thanks all!
I like it too. Good one. Keep it going.
142 comments and still going strong!
You sir, are an idiot. Did you get your information from Star magazine? I have been a close friend of Val’s since 1985 and nearly everything you wrote is incorrect! Val saw this page and asked me to reply for him. If you knew anything about being in the biz, and I mean being a very successful actor or songwriter (that would be me…200 million records sold and counting), you might have the RIGHT to speak about Val. Val is a Genius, and that is an almost impossible thing to be in Hollywood! Remember Eric Roberts?! Another close friend of mine. Val NEVER used drugs and was still in major demand after that dreadful Colin Farrell film. Val is very wealthy and he simply could not play the “kiss my backside 24/7″ game. Val was satisfied with being in CLASSIC films such as “Tombstone”, “The Doors” “Wonderland”, etc. He is now raking in the money taking a large number of points and a large salary in his direct to video films! Val is happy and will be coming back to make some very important/Brilliant indie films. The obsession with weight is sick these days. Tom Cruise has never made a watchable film and cannot act and the fight was not over a volleyball game. The fight was because of Tom’s constant homosexual attacks toward Val. He simply would not take no from Val and put his hands on Val once too often. In the end, you are one of those people who hides behind a computer and loves when a star is having a hard time (or in Val’s case, when you think a star has fallen). Get a life or better yet…..Shut the hell up. Regards, Anon (for Val Kilmer)
You must be quite a friend. I imaging that defending Val Kilmer on the internet must be a full time job.
You say that “everything” I wrote is incorrect, but you haven’t given one specific inaccuracy. In fact, you confirmed the fight with Tom Cruise. What did I get wrong?
Tell Val he should drop in and say “hi”. We’d love to hear from him.
As always, these articles are written with warm regard and a sense of humor. As successful as Mr. Kilmer is/has been, I’m sure he can handle a gentle ribbing. (He gets far worse at other sites.)
Thanks for dropping in. Even if it was for name calling and ranting.
Correction: Val is a Real Genius.
BTW is that you 50 Cent?
Wow. Some one is really upset. If you are a friend of Val Kilmer why didn’t you leave your name? Why sign Anon? Isn’t that short for Anonymous? Worried?
Val Kilmer is not your Huckleberry.
A top-selling songwriter who’s touchy about weight, huh? I’m thinking Meatloaf…or Mariah Carey.
I’m sorry. I’m a little confused or maybe I am just out of the loop. I have heard a couple of times that Val Kilmer is a songwriter? I didn’t know that. What has he written and what has become of the songs?
Val was great in “Top Secret” and “Real Genius”, and also loved his “Elvis” cameo in “True Romance”, I always thought he should have stuck to those types of comedic roles. I hope he can get healthy again and is able to make some sort of late-career comeback.
I agree. I think he is too good an actor to just disappear into oblivion. Hope he does make a come-back. By the way, I understand that there is going to be a Top Gun sequel. Will he be in that one?
I think Tom Cruise has a restraining order.
He does? What a rip-off. It would be interesting to see that one if he did appear. Fireworks all over the place. How funny.
I’m kidding about the restrianing order. But they have a long-standing fued after a shoving match on the set of Top Gun. Odds are that Kilmer will be excluded from any and all Tom Cruise projects forever.
Damn. Like I said, that would be a good one. Oh well. I really do hope that Val would make a come-back, but I think odds are against it. Too Bad.
Never say never. But Kilmer’s chances of a mainstream comeback are only slightly better than Sean Young’s.
Who?
If Val Kilmer is the King of What the Hell Happened, Sean Young is the queen.
Read all about her here. She even made a guest appearance in the comments section.
Sean Young? Is she the one who starred with Bill Murray and Harold Ramis in Stripes as one of the MPS? If that is her then that is the last thing I have seen her in. Wow, what did happen to her? And for that matter PJ Soles? Rmember her?
That’s her. Wow, you ditched on Young early. She went on to have a pretty successful career for a while in the 80s. But then she had some very public embrassaments and substance abuse problems that basically got her blackballed. Not to toot my own horn, but I’d definitely recommend reading the whole WTHH article on Young. Hers is one of the most interesting.
Sure, I saw PJ Soles on a documentary about Halloween. Believe it or not, she’s still out there working. Just not in mainstream movies.
Sounds very interesting. I definitely will read about Sean Young. You dont have a WTHH to PJ Soles do you? I’d be interested to know whats going on with her.
At present, I don’t. But I did check her Wikipedia entry. It looks like she has kept working largely based on her scream queen status from Halloween.
O.K. Anyway, so what is Val up to now? Anything? Anything worth mentioning or for that matter worth watching?
He does a lot of direct-to-video movies. Some aren’t half bad. Most are just plain awful. He also did a one-man show as Mark Twain. He’s got himself in a bit of a financial pickle with back child support. So he’ll basically do any job that pays the bills.
Hi Lebeau!
I stumbled onto your site when I happened to do a search for WTHH to Michael Keaton. I’ve been perusing other articles on your blog ever since. I must say that I enjoy your writing, so thank you for taking the time to do this!
Slight nitpick on this article because I am a New Orleanian (and annoying): “Eventually, they just went ahead and made him Bacchus at Mardis Gras for Fat Tuesday in 2009.” That should actually read that they made him King of Bacchus- Bacchus being the name of that particular Krewe/parade.
Since I see you take suggestions, might I request Cuba Gooding Jr.?
Thanks again!
Hey,
I’m glad you have been enjoying the articles. Thanks for reading! And thanks for the tip. I will update the article immediately.
I keep forgetting I haven’t already done Cuba Gooding. He’s a perfect fit for this series, no doubt.
I’ve been slacking on the WTHH articles for the last month or so. But they will be coming back to the forefront as soon as I finish my WDW trip report and start winding down my weekly recaps of The Walking Dead and American Horror Story. I expect to get to Gooding early next year.
I enjoyed reading all the posts. I would hope that Val would have a resurrection of his career and that 13 could be his lucky number, as in 2013. I can’t help but feel that Sean Young’s career started and end with her role in Blade Runner. Certainly she was no Ingrid Bergman. However she did a good job as a conflicted heroine. Bergman’s Role in Notorious was stronger. I do believe that there is a future for Ms Young. After all Jamie Lee Curtis did find her way back, short stent with NCIS.
I’m glad you enjoyed the articles.
I think both Kilmer and Young have an uphill battle if they want to come back. Both have personal issues they need to deal with before Hollywood will welcome them back.
I agree. But, never say never. For some reason I think that Val will make it back. We can only hope. Maybe he’ll do another movie like Tombstone. He can play Wyatt Earp this time. Haha.
According to Val Kilmer, he was in a scheduling conflict between “Batman & Robin” and “The Saint”. He claims (on the special edition DVD for “Batman & Robin” for instance) that neither he nor his agent were aware of Warner Bros.’ plans of fast-tracking the production process from three years to two. Of course, knowing how badly things turned out w/ “Batman & Robin”, it’s easy to believe that Val ultimately “escaped a bullet”.
I think there was probably some truth to the scheduling conflict angle. But had Schumacher (and the studio) wanted to keep him, they would have made some effort to either work around The Saint or have The Saint work around them. They were more than happy to let Kilmer go off an work for a rival studio and replace him with Clooney.
As you say, Kilmer dodged a bullet that time. Although I’m not sure The Saint was all that much better for his career.
http://www.batman-online.com/forum/index.php?topic=910.msg16103#msg16103
Kilmer wanted to play Batman similar to the same way Keaton did while Schumacher wanted to the complete opposite, Which was one of there many reasons to fight.
Great article. Extremely well written and genuinely hilarious!
I recently posted a link to this article to Val Kilmer’s IMDb message board. The first person to reply to me said that he/she believes that Val just decided to take on roles that interested him instead of taking “boring predictable leading man roles” (a la “Batman Forever”). As much as they may provide big pay days, the roles he’s taken since 2002 perhaps obviously please him as an actor more. Meanwehile, Val has still kept his hand in some big screen releases such as “The Missing”, “Spartan”, “Alexander”, “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”, “Deja Vu”, “Bad Lieutenant”, “MacGruber”, etc.
I think there may be some small amount of truth to that. Kilmer gravitated towards projects that interested him. But I don’t think he intended to walk away from mainstream movies in favor of direct-to-DVD crap.
I agree. I don’t think he planned to do Direct-to Dvd’s either.
I hear this excuse a lot from fans of celeb’s whose careers have cooled. And I will acknowledge that a lot of celebs eventually decide it is time to concentrate on something other than being an A-list star. That’s healthy. But usually it comes at a time when the career was cooling off anyway.
In Kilmer’s case, why would he voluntarily decide to make exclusively bad movies?
Why would he then?
He slowly alienated most of Hollywood. They put up with it when he was considered a draw at the box office. But as his wasit expanded and his grosses shrunk, they decided they didn’t need him anymore. Problem is, Kilmer owes taxes, child support, etc. So he needs to keep working to pay the bills. His options dried up to the point where crappy direct-to-DVD movies are his only steady paycheck.
Tale as old as time.
Yes. I agree. What a shame though. lebeau’s
It is a shame. He’s an extremely talented guy. Even now. When you see him in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang or even Bad Lieutenant, he’s still a lot of fun to watch. But he’s languishing in terrible movies.
Yep. Too bad he couldn’t come back and make another movie like Tombstone. What an awesome movie that was. One of my favorites. lebeau’s
Yeah, even if you’re a fan of Val’s it’s kind of ignorant to easily dismiss all of the “Val is difficult to work with” allegations and its possibly negative impact on his career as a mainstream star.
Just saw Kilmer and Robert Downey, Jr. in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – great performance by both actors – enjoyable movie
I was mad at myself for waiting so long to watch it. It’s really good. Both Kilmer and Downey were great.
In a weird way, Val Kilmer’s “fall from grace” reminds me of Steven Seagal’s (whom I posted on Lebeau’s Facebook page would make a great WTHHT subject). Both the biggest movies in Val Kilmer and Steven Seagal’s careers (“Batman Forever” and “Under Siege” respectively) oddly enough, featured Tommy Lee Jones as an antagonist. Both Val and Steven you can argue, developed reputations for being prima-donnas at the height of their fame/success. Both Val wound up co-starring w/ popular hip-hop artists (e.g. LL Cool J and 50 Cent for Val and DMX and Ja Rule for Steven). Both Val and Steven became incredibly out of shape and in the process, relegated to making a bunch of direct-to-DVD movies.
I have heard that Tommy Lee Jones will not admit to having worked with Seagal. The only reason I haven’t done a Seagal write-up yet is that I’m just not a fan. Same with Van Damme. I haven’t seen very many of their movies and I don’t really want to make myself watch them.
I never realized Seagal and Kilmer had so much in common. Funny.
To save some time, here’s Mathew Buck’s (AKA Film Brain) review of Steven Seagal’s movies for his “Bad Movie Beatdown” series:
http://blip.tv/film-brain/bad-movie-beatdown-half-past-dead-5408954
http://blip.tv/film-brain/bad-movie-beatdown-against-the-dark-5388404
http://blip.tv/film-brain/bad-movie-beatdown-shadow-man-5363953
http://blip.tv/film-brain/bad-movie-beatdown-mercenary-for-justice-5341811
http://blip.tv/film-brain/bad-movie-beatdown-out-of-reach-5327398
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StevenSeagal
After the success of his first movie Seagal went on to make box office hits Hard to Kill, Marked For Death and Out For Justice. Securing his place as a top action star during the late 80′s and early 90′s. The apex of his success came with his most well known movie Under Siege. Unfortunately this proved to be the beginning of the end of his big box office success. The 1994 film On Deadly Ground was a pet project of the actor, with a large budget and even an all-star cast. Co-produced, directed and starring Steven Seagal, the movie was an Anvilicious environmental crusade against evil oil companies. Unfortunately it was slammed for its broken morals and the seemingly endless rants his “character” went on.
Despite Under Siege 2 Dark Territory being successful, Seagal’s movies rapidly declined in financial success. Eventually by the late 90′s he was relegated to “direct-to-video” and remained there for nearly a decade. He made a proposal to have American releases of Tony Jaa’s Thai smash-hit Ong Bak re-cut with him in the prologue and epilogue as the Mighty Whitey who trained him into a Mauy Thai master, but the idea was rejected. Recently seen in the reality tv show Steven Seagal: Lawman and making his return to the big screen in 2010 as the main villain of Robert Rodriguez’s Machete. He also recorded two albums: a debut “Songs from the Crystal Cave” and straight blues “Mojo Priest”. He also created and co-wrote many episodes of the TV series True Justice (starring guess who).
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CreatorKiller
Unlike many other action stars, Steven Seagal had an anomalous career of appearing in hits right from the start (compared to Arnold Schwarzenegger, for example, who had several bad films under his belt before he starred as Terminator). Following the success of Under Siege, his ego got the better of him and he demanded that Warner Bros. finance his pet project On Deadly Ground, an environmental action pic in which he was the star and director. Its critical and financial failure ended his directorial career, and his acting career took a tremendous hit with it. Since then, his films made less and less money until he had a brief resurrection with Exit Wounds. An attempt to followup on that success with Half Past Dead effectively killed his career and left him on direct-to-DVD films (with the exception of Machete) and TV (True Justice, Steven Seagal: Lawman).
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StarDerailingRole
Steven Seagal in Half Past Dead. His career was already floundering after starring in a string of busts, but this is the film that dealt a huge blow to his career. Since then, he has starred in a series of low-budget direct-to-video films — he would not see the inside of a cinema again until Machete.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HalfPastDead
A commercial and critical disaster; this film was the final nail in the coffin for a rapidly-floundering Steven Seagal. Any hopes that might have been raised briefly by the surprise hit that was 2001′s Exit Wounds were dashed in an instant. All of Seagal’s films since this one (except, until recently, Machete) have been direct to DVD.
Another “Bad Movie Beatdown” of a Steven Seagal movie:
http://blip.tv/film-brain/bad-movie-beatdown-on-deadly-ground-2462632
They Believed The Hype (And It Blew Up In Their Face): 15 Celebrities Whose Careers Were Hurt By Hubris:
http://styleblazer.com/131706/they-believed-the-hype-and-it-blew-up-in-their-face-15-celebrities-whose-careers-were-hurt-by-hubris/3/
Steven Seagal was Jean-Claude Van Damme’s main competition in the 90s. While the actor wouldn’t blow his career in request for an inflated paycheck, his attempt at being a multifaceted writer-actor-director-producer blew up in his face. Keep in mind, Seagal’s career began as a whim—mega producer Michael Ovitz put the akido martial arts master into the lead of Above the Law despite the fact he had no prior acting experience. His career reached its zenith with the hit thriller Under Siege and Seagal was given 100% creative freedom on projects thereafter. Subsequently his films became excess-filled caricatures of his former work. Though audiences tolerated his environmentally conscious, Zen Buddhist themed films at first, the one-two punch of On Deadly Ground and Fire Down Below proved Seagal’s messages clashed with his ultra-violent action scenes. The actor subsequently gained weight and was retired alongside Van Damme to direct-to-video fare in the 2000s.
Steven Seagal would make for a great write-up here on WTHH. Besides the rise and fall story to his career (I don’t know if he was ever considered A-list, but from the late 80′s to mid 90′s he was definately a consistent box office draw), he also has a notorious ego, along with all the drama that goes along with it. John Leguizamo has a great story of Seagal physically assaulting him on the set of Executive Decision which you can easily find by Googling it (you can also find him telling the story on YouTube). Steven Seagal also hosted SNL once during his heyday, after which Lorne Michaels said he was so obnoxious and difficult to deal with that he was the worst host in the history of SNL That’s just scratching the surface. The stories go on and on with him.
I understand not being very interested in doing a write-up of him since you’re not a fan, but there’s so much gold to be mined there it might be worth it to at least consider it.
I have always planned to feayure Seagal eventually. I just keep putting him off. Now you’ve piqued my interest with those bread crumbs. I may have to bump Seagal up in the roster. I’ll be the first to admit he’s long overdue.
Thanks for the inspiration. I’ve got a busy weekend coming up, so this will probably be at least a week off. But it’s coming soon.
I’m looking forward to the write up. I know someone who worked with him over here in the UK and obnoxious is an understatement.
Be sure to mention the hair as there’s something going on up there that deserves some attention.
How could I not?
I recall that when Nicolas Cage hosted “SNL” during I think, the cold opening, Cage was worried that he might come across as the biggest jerk to ever guest host the show to which Lorne Michaels replied that actually the biggest jerk to ever guest host was Steven Seagal.
Have never seen so much as a trailer of any Segal movies.
I have seen very few. I saw Under Siege 2 at a $1 theater. I saw the one he did with Kurt Russell where he died early on because I had a bet based solely on the movie poster that he would die early on. I saw Machete. Off the top of my head, that’s it. And I don’t plan to watch any more for the article. Sounds like I’ll have enough other material I won’t have to.
That’s a hell of a record to hold considering the jerks who have behaved badly hosting SNL.
Steven Seagal is a really interesting case. Prior to his big-screen debut in Above The Law, he had never acted before. Not a supporting role, not a bit part, not a tv commercial, not even as an extra. Nothing. Hollywood power agent Michael Ovitz thought his Akido instructor Seagal had something about him, and got him the lead in his first movie. That’s pretty crazy, lead role in a movie as your first acting gig ever when he was a complete unknown. By the way, if you do decide to watch at least one Seagal movie for your research, I do recommend Above The Law, it’s a good dramatic action movie for what it is, and you’ll also see WTHH member Sharon Stone make an appearance as Seagal’s wife here. Worth a rental at least, better than the average martial arts flick.
Seagal’s discovery is the stuff of Hollywood legend. It’s old school. They don’t amke em like that anymore.
I have heard good things about Above the Law. If time permits, I’ll check it out.
I have to admit, I’m really looking forward to tackling this one.
Under all the wwthht supposedly about Val Kilmer, why is everyone talking about Steven Segal? The guy is an Ahole. lebeau’s
It’s pretty common practice around here. I allow and even participate in the thread drift. We’ve been talking Val Kilmer for a couple years now. Plus, off-topic comments frequently turn into future articles. It’s how we roll.
Why? Did you have anything to say about Mr. Kilmer?
No. You’re right, he is pretty much talked out. I was just wondering.
Ah, the sensitive nature of the Artiste! kidding aside, I can only imagine that with that many creative personalities on a screen project, clashes might be the norm rather than the exception. But i would have no idea.
I did like Val Kilmer very much as Jim Morrison, thought he did an amazing job. (To me, Meg Ryan was not as good of a casting choice to play Morrison’s GF Pamela Courson That part screamed out for a tempestuous redhead, not America’s sweetheart). Playing Morrison, himself a creative genius and over the top personality, would not have been done that well with any actor other than Kilmer. Plus there was just enough physical resemblance to cement the authenticity factor. Wasn’t Oliver Stone the director? There was definite director/actor magic in that movie. Maybe it’s because I was a Doors fan back in the day.
I was too. I still am a big doors fan. I thought Kilmer did a fantastic job in that movie. I am still a big fan of Kilmer’s too. I think he’s an amazing actor.
FRC’s Fallen Icon #2 – Val Kilmer:
http://www.frontroomcinema.com/frcs-fallen-icon-2-val-kilmer/
In July 1994, it was announced that Kilmer would be taking over the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne from Michael Keaton.
This may have been the beginning of the downward spiral for the star. Schumacher reports os him being very difficult on set and states that the arguments often turned into shoving matches. The outcome of this is that he was dropped from the role of Batman after only one film.
Then again, the start of Kilmer’s decline, it could be argued, began with the ill-fated “The Island of Dr. Moreau,” a film that became a running joke within the world of Hollywood due to on set antics of Val Kilmer and also of his co star Marlon Brando
Kilmer was difficult, demanded to switch roles and even got one director fired from the project. Director John Frankenheimer is quoted often saying…
“I don’t like Val Kilmer, I don’t like his work ethic, and I don’t want to be associated with him ever again.”
All of this bad boy behaviour would have just gone away and been laughed at if the film was a hit, but it bombed and threw everyone under the bus who was involved, adding a scar to all who took part.
Combine that with disappointing returns for “The Saint” and “The Ghost and The Darkness,” and the A List opportunities for Kilmer pretty much dried up. No one wanted to be seen working with him.
Every now and then, Kilmer would pop up in a juicy role – 2003′s “Wonderland,” and 2005′s “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” for instance – but it wasn’t enough to get Kilmer consistent work.
Kilmer has managed to stay out of the lime light more recently, living in New Mexico, he also played Moses in a costly stage version of The Ten Commandments, and my favourite of it all he voiced KITT in the horrid “Knight Rider” remake – but hasn’t broken through with another strong role.
Instead, he’s made a staggering amount of movies that go straight to your DVD store shelf, films way below the talents of an intensely talented and well trained method actor like Kilmer. Who knows, maybe he justenjoys keeping busy?
We saw him again in “Bad Lieutenant” which was another pop at a return to Hollywood’s good side, although the film itself was made by, Werner Herzog, and stars the mental Nicholas Cage, Kilmer didn’t come crashing back through the doors into the publics good books.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Well a few things actually, mainly it was his attitude. He was such a slave to his trade, throwing himself into the roles so hard that he would become impossible to handle. In an industry full of Divas and Prima Donnas Val Kilmer put them all to shame. He was the ultimate Diva. No one wanted to work with him.
But I think he deserves to get a comeback? No? He needs to do a bit of soul-searching and realise that we do not owe him a career, but when he was good he was good. Come on Kilmer sort it out!!
25 A-List Hollywood Actors Who Fell the F Off:
http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/02/25-a-list-hollywood-actors-who-fell-the-f-off/val-kilmer
Val Kilmer
Best Known For: Willow (1988), Tombstone (1993), Heat (1995)
Most Recent Project: Riddle (2013)
Kilmer’s career had an auspicious start, as he was the youngest actor ever accepted to Julliard, but it didn’t take long before he solidified his reputation for being difficult to work with. Rumors of a rivalry between Kilmer and Tom Cruise during the filming of Top Gun swirl to this day; the two supposedly brawled when the cameras were off.
In his 2001 book, Which Lie Did I Tell, William Goldman went into vivid detail regarding Kilmer’s problematic behavior on the set of The Ghost and the Darkness. After a string of notorious tantrums on the set of The Island of Dr. Moreau, Kilmer was lectured by Brando to not confuse his talent with the size of his paycheck.
Even the most talented actors can’t burn that many bridges, and outside of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Kilmer’s career has slowed to a crawl after two decades of dickishness.
Batman in 1990s: Val Kilmer & George Clooney:
http://gothamalleys.blogspot.com/2011/01/batman-in-movies-part-ii-val-kilmer.html
There are several versions as to why Michael Keaton didn’t reprise his role as Batman. Keaton says that he wasn’t interested in the brighten up take on the character and in the new direction the series was taking, Schumacher claims that he was fired. One thing that’s certain is that the movie was indeed greenlit with Micheel Keaton attached to the project.
Not only does Schumacher have Burton’s blessing (”I wouldn’t have approached it if Tim wasn’t supportive of the idea,” he says), but he has Michael Keaton’s as well. ”Schumacher can make Batman sexier and more heroic,” says Harry Colomby, a partner in Keaton’s production company. ”Burton is not the hero type. His heart beats for the outsider-look at Edward Scissorhands.” Keaton, who made $5 million for Batman and $10 million for the sequel, could earn as much as $15 million this time out of the Batcave. ”The predisposition for Michael is always to do Batman,” says Colomby. Also watch for Keaton, who had to share the spotlight with those cute penguins in Batman Returns, to be more of a player in the next installment.(Entertainment Weekly Oct. 1993)
There are many versions as to what happened next though
Despite the success of the first two Batman movies, Michael Keaton passed over Batman Forever, convinced that there would be little reward in reprising the character again. Now, he is intent on moving on (Film Review Special #12)
Michael Keaton: To lighten up and brighten it up and be a cartoon was of no interest to me (Batman:The Complete History)
He also did acknowledge that he was in talks at one point
Michael Keaton: I knew we were in trouble in talks for the third one when certain people started the conversation with ‘Why does it have to be so dark?’ ‘Why does he have to be so depressed?’ ‘Shouldn’t there be more color in this thing?’ I knew I was headed for trouble and that it wasn’t a road I was going to go down.” (La Times 2011)
Keaton talked about everything including why he “walked away” from “Batman Forever”: “Apparently not for me.” He said he has “personal” things to do, like time with his young son, as well as wanting to pursue “more interesting roles.” (Variety Nov. 1994)
According to one source close to the production, Keaton, who starred in 1989′s Batman and 1992′s Batman Returns (which earned a combined $414 million), was making some thorny demands. ”He wanted $15 million,” says the insider. ”He wanted a chunk of the gross, he wanted a chunk of merchandising.”
The Keaton camp strongly denies the showdown was about salary alone. ”Money was never the issue,” says Keaton’s producing partner, Harry Colomby. ”Not doing this movie means he probably gave up $30 million, based on his back-end deal.” According to a source, Keaton was concerned that the Batman juggernaut was rolling without any input from its star.
Making matters worse was an increasingly tense relationship between Keaton and the film’s new kingpin, Joel Schumacher, who replaced Keaton’s friend Tim Burton as director. ”[After one meeting with Schumacher] Michael was not feeling confident,” says the Keaton source. ”Creatively, it wasn’t happening. He was worried that the character he’d lived with for two films wasn’t going to be developed the way he wanted it to be developed.” As the script was being revised, ”no one ever called [Keaton] to say, ‘Wait! You’ve got to see this!’ Or, ‘Wait ’til you see what we’ve got for Batman!”’ (Film Review July 1994)
O: Did you have the option to cast Michael Keaton in the third one?
Joel Schumacher: Yes. We were actually making it with Michael Keaton, but his demands were so ridiculous that Warner had to fire him. I inherited him. I was given Michael. By the time he was fired, I was saying, “Val Kilmer, Val Kilmer, Val Kilmer.” I was saying, “Let’s go younger.” I’m always saying “Let’s go younger” on my movies.
O: What do you think Val Kilmer brought to the role of Batman? Joel Schumacher: Well, he was a very handsome Batman. I think that Batman Forever was an excellent Batman comic book. (AV Club int 2003)
Joel Schumacher: Bruce Wayne has always been glamorous and attractive and charming on one level and then dark and tortured underneath and I knew Val could play all those sides (Anthology)
Joel Schumacher’s movies were more so a reboot rather than a continuation. The series was only linked to the original movies by two supporting actors (Pat Hingle and Michael Gough) and one sentence alluding to Catwoman.
Batman Forever’s take on Batman is in some ways similar, but in many more ways vastly different then the character presented by Tim Burton and Michael Keaton. One of the similarities is the character’s internal pain and pathos, which was a target of discussion even before the script has been written between the writers, Joel Schumacher and Tim Burton who served as one of the producers on the movie.
Val Kilmer: Hes traumatized from his youth and its certainly a fundamental fear you’re gonna lose your parents, raised by someone else,’ lonely, angry and theres a goodness in him he wants to right wrongs (Anthology)
Joel Schumacher: I wanted to add mythic qualities to our story of batman and so there is a struggle for Bruce Wayne to find his identity (Anthology)
Val Kilmer did a good job in projecting a character that’s deeply depressed the time. Goldsman said that the character was driven by guilt, blaming himself for the death of his parents
Mike Mignola: You look at Val Kilmer and you think what the hell is that guy thinking cause certain actors had this thing when you look at them and you know the wheels are turning in there (Anthology)
This Batman is also a very good detective who works with his mind using intelligence and deductive thinking (he solved Riddler’s riddles instantly and along with Chase figured out very fast why Two Face attacked this particular bank on this particular day). He also seems to be skilled in many different areas including technology.
However, this is where the similarities end and where a completely different take on the character comes to light. This take on the Batman world is completely different – it isn’t a Gothic story, nor is it a fairy tale kind of approach. According to the producers, Joel wanted a new style for Batman and that was Pop. As one of the producers, explained it:
Peter Scott (producer) : It’s Saturday Night Fever on acid (Anthology)
Joel Schumacher: My job was to put everything new that I could (Anthology)
Schumacher eschewed the dark, dystopian atmosphere of Burton’s earlier films. Instead, he drew inspiration directly from the source: the Batman comic book he admits to loving as a kid [the late 1940's/early 1950's Dick Sprang run]. (…) “What you see is color, great graphics, exciting action sequences and humor.” (Variety 1997)
While Bob Kane worked on Batman Forever as well, he also thought that Batman Returns was a bit too dark even for his tastes and agreed that a brighter direction should be taken
Elizabeth Kane: Bob thought that because the second one perhaps had moments a little too dark, then the third one should be a little more upbeat, not like the TV show by any means, but a little bit more lighter, brighter (Anthology)
Michale Gough: Tim is more a psychological thriller and Joel is more viewing thriller (Anthology)
With the extravagant, pop approach, it was just natural that not only the tone but the characters will change too. Since Gothic element was dropped completely, so were the characteristics of Gothic literature
characters:
First of all, Batman was no longer mysterious and puzzling, and is now a conventional main character .He wasn’t psychotic anymore either. As oppose to Keaton’s portrayal, this Batman wasn’t a psycho consumed by the monster he was holding within who was taking him over whom he tried to fight, he was doing what he was doing because it was his choice
Joel Schumacher: He has a choice as a man now whether to continue to be Batman or not (Anthology)
Val Kilmer: He’s disgustingly wealthy (…) what he chooses to do with his free time is fight an impossible battle against the crime of the city that is corrupt (Anthology)
From the script:
BATMAN
Poor, Edward. I had to save them
both. You see, I am Bruce Wayne and
Batman. Not because I have to be.
But because I choose to be.
This Batman was simply a hurt Bruce Wayne who was putting on a costume to fight crime
Gough & Millar (Smallville producers): Val Kilmer felt more haunted but heroic. He was comfortable with his wealth, Michael Keaton’s interpretation was he was never comfortable in his own skin and never comfortable with all of this stuff which has basically come from his parents (Anthology)
This Bruce also wasn’t a loner or a creature of the shadows. As already mentioned, he was simply a depressed and hurt crime fighter in a bat costume. This time he had no problems at all landing and talking in the middle of the crowd in full light in costume…
…and as oppose to his previous incarnation, didn’t mind the crowds outside of the costume either inviting Chase to a big, loud and crowded event that is Gotham’s Hippodrome Circus and to Nygma’s party.
He was also a public persona this time, overlooking Wayne Enterprise and appearing on official galas and on many magazine covers
This Bruce and Batman is very open and there’s no anger in him at all, just sadness. He isn’t a creature of few words anymore, but a caped and cooperative crime fighter – after all, the signal was now on top of Gordon’s quarters implying that the two are collaborating together. This Batman is not only talkative in and outside of the costume, but has a knack for cheesy jokes as well – “You trying to get under my cape?”, “It’s the car, chicks dig the car”, “I’ll get drive through”, “Try a fireman. Less to take off.” It’s interesting to note that Kilmer’s Batman is more open then his Wayne side
For Kilmer’s part, he makes as good a case for himself as did Roger Moore in his first Bond movie. Keaton may have had the edge in psychological complexity, but Kilmer has nicer lips, and lips are important to a masked Batman.
Keaton’s was a quirky, middle-aged, almost unreachable Bruce Wayne. Kilmer’s Bruce Wayne is younger and more handsome, and though he’s morose and unsmiling, you get the feeling most of his problems would be solved if only he got with the right girlfriend. (Film Review 1995)
While the previous Batman was a loner who wanted to be alone all the time and even stayed away from Alfred, this Batman, while originally receptive to the idea, accepted a young man as a crime fighting partner and welcomed him as a teammate.
In Dick he saw a young version of himself, and someone driven by pain who wants revenge. Still, he was rejecting the idea of endangering Dick by making him a teammate based on the danger factor and the boy’s anger driven motivation, but as soon as he recognized his physical abilities and newly found focus he welcomed him in the “bat family”
He welcomes a partner as Batman and he also welcomes one as Bruce Wayne. He was willing to get involved with the seductive Chase, giving her a considerable amount of attention and being clearly affected by her charms. After he first saw her as Batman he was already enthralled by her and booked a visit in her office. Then even kissed her as Batman and accepted her night invitation, trying to connect with her as both batman and Bruce Wayne (by inviting her on a date)
Kilmer’s Batman also had a thing for extravagant and flashy designer gadgets. This time his cave isn’t a cold, wet, bat filled cave with a couple of rusty catwalks and a console, it was fully customized, filled with neons , customized construction and flashy gadgets like the rotating platform displaying glowing, logo filled Batmobile like at a car show
This Batman also has a very strong moral code which heavily goes against killing. He explains to Dick that if you kill once and you cross that line, there’s no going back
From the script:
BRUCE
We don’t kill. Killing is what damns you
At the end, Bruce is willing to spent his life with Chase and he’s able to put his demons behind him, giving Chase her doll back saying that he’s not gonna be needing it anymore. He made a peace with himself
Pretty simple. When you get older your organs just don’t handle the crap you eat. Most people when young can eat lots of crap and not get fat (some do). As we get old and depending on our genes our body becomes less resilient and the organs and digestive capacity diminishes. Now ask how can he and other reverse this? It’s called eat more raw foods and less overall. By detoxifying the body and balancing our diet with more fresh red meat, vegetables, moderate fruit and seeds we can regain our youthful vitality and turn back the clock a bit. We can never go back to eating like we did or we will quickly revert back to our dying self. Learning to relax, work smart and take control of our lives is also a big plus. Stress and chasing the almighty dollar also has a toll on us.
Yes. But will he? I have recently seen some pics of him and he has slimmed down considerably. Now if only he could resurrect that career of his he would be in great shape.
The Downfall Of Val Kilmer – A Study In Posters:
http://www.pajiba.com/seriously_random_lists/the-downfall-of-val-kilmer-a-study-in-posters-yet-another-in-a-long-series-of-diversions-in-an-attempt-to-avoid-responsibility.php
Val Kilmer is an a mystery wrapped in an enigma surrounded by confoundment, currently buried in a heap of cinematic tragedy.
Admit it. If you think of your all time favorite movies — I don’t mean the most respectable movies, necessarily, but the most fun movies on your list, I’m willing to bet all of the money in my wallet (four dollars) that he’s in at last one of them. Not to say that he hasn’t made some respectable movies, too — The Doors, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang — but mostly, Val Kilmer has just been fun. Nowadays… yeesh.
Now, I’m also something of a nut for things like movie trailers and posters, so I figured (inspired by commenter klingonfree) we’d do a little study on Kilmer’s steady decline using posters as our guide.
He’s done and gone to hell I’m afraid.
Val Kilmer is Mark Twain in “Citizen Twain.”:
http://officialfan.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=offtopic&action=display&thread=467001
What’s kind of funny is that the person in reply #6 said that Val had a really solid career going and he had some great performances before Batman killed his rising star.
20 Movies That Made Us Think Differently About The Actors In Them (And Not In A Good Way):
http://styleblazer.com/73727/20-movies-that-made-us-think-differently-about-the-actors-in-them-and-not-in-a-good-way/14/
Val Kilmer has had something of a charmed career and is well liked by most movie buffs, but what was the last movie you saw him in? He’s been working, though he may be too pudgy to recognize in movies not worth remembering. Red Planet, was his A-list action star downfall. The movie was a fiscal disaster and if you remember, wasn’t all that good. But you probably don’t remember–and that’s the point.
15 Career-Ending Movies:
http://www.popcrunch.com/15-career-ending-movies/
Red Planet
Career Ruined: Val Kilmer
Remember the last movie Val Kilmer was in? Yeah neither does anyone else. Quick name a movie besides Batman that starred Val Kilmer and came out this millennia. Yeah neither can anyone else, but would you believe he’s made dozens? (Okay you get bonus points if you remembered Kiss Kiss Bang Bang). Red Planet was the last gasp attempt to turn Val Kilmer into an action star. It was a big fat expensive failure that pretty much dragged Kilmer’s career down with it.
Quick, name an activity that Kilmer has undertaken in the past decade other than becoming impossibly rotund? (Trick question, there is no answer).
Wow. Somebody doesn’t like Val Kilmer. But some of us do. I still think he could do something good. But, maybe not. No one knows for sure. But it would sure be nice. How about saying something nice about the guy instead of all this Val bashing? Give the guy a break. He may surprise all of us. lebeau’s
A lot of people don’t like Val Kilmer. But I’m not one of them. I love the guy! He’s my Gravatar!
Now if we can just convince everyone else. Haha. lebeau’s
I actually think most fans are rooting for the guy to pull himself together and start making good movies again. Most people who don’t like Kilmer are the ones who worked with him when he was being difficult.
Like most of the people I have written about, I doubt Kilmer will ever return to superstardom. But if he could clean up a little, he could probably return to mainstream movies.
Val Kilmer: What the Hell Happened?:
http://frettsonfilm.com/2012/08/17/val-kilmer-what-the-hell-happened-2/
Has there ever been a bigger waste of talent than Val Kilmer? The guy can do it all—comedy (he made a sidesplitting debut in the too-little-seen Top Secret!), action (he flew high as Iceman in Top Gun), crime dramas (he burned up the screen in Heat), Westerns (he should’ve gotten an Oscar nod as sickly Doc Holliday in Tombstone), musical biopics (he deservedly got a Best Actor nomination for his uncanny portrayal of Jim Morrison in The Doors). Yet soon after playing Bruce Wayne and his superhero alter ego in Joel Schumacher’s first Dark Knight pic in 1995, Kilmer went from Batman Forever to Fat Man Bore-ever.
Now he’s officially become a joke, sporting long stringy hair and a cheesy pornstache as a Texas bank robber in the direct-to-DVD fiasco Breathless. (Not to be confused with Jean-Luc Godard’s original or Richard Gere’s laughable remake.) Kilmer gets killed off in the first half-hour, after his greedy wife (Gina Gershon) accidentally shoots him in the head, and much of the rest of the film deals with her attempts to dispose of his bloated body. Cowriter-director Jesse Baget is apparently shooting for a Coen Brothers-style dark farce, but he ends up with a brain-dead variation on Gershon’s far-superior Lone Star State crime story, William Friedkin’s Killer Joe.
Kilmer and Gershon aren’t the only gifted performers squandered: SVU‘s Kelli Giddish (as an equally witless partner-in-crime) and Ray Liotta (as a good ol’ boy lawman) also fritter away their—and our—time. So when and why did it all start to go wrong for Kilmer? I blame Marlon Brando. After he costarred with the former Don Corleone in the ill-fated 1996 remake of The Island of Dr. Moreau, Kilmer seemed infected by Brando’s spirit, packing on the pounds, taking himself way too seriously (he flirted with a run for governor of New Mexico!) and developing a reputation for being difficult. “There are two things I will never do in my life,” Moreau director John Frankenheimer said. “I will never climb Mount Everest, and I will never work with Val Kilmer again. There isn’t enough money in the world.”
Apparently, Frankenheimer wasn’t the only A-list filmmaker to feel this way. Aside from reteaming with The Doors‘ Oliver Stone as Colin Farrell’s father in the not-so-great biopic Alexander and Top Gun’s Tony Scott on the forgettable Deja Vu, Kilmer’s spent the last decade doing straight-to-video schlock and self-parodying cameos (villain Dieter Von Cunth in the bomb MacGruber). Now he’s found the perfect collaborator—himself—writing, directing and starring as Mark Twain in a one-man show which he may turn into a film. One can only hope that, to paraphrase Samuel Clemens, the reports of Kilmer’s career death have been greatly exaggerated and he’s still got at least one good movie left in him. After all, as he proved so many years ago, the guy can be a Real Genius.
He (Val Kilmer) is a “Real Genius.” And has proved it repeatedly. I will never say never about the guy. lebeau’s
10 Actors Who Are Nowhere Near As Great As They Used To Be:
http://whatculture.com/film/10-actors-who-are-nowhere-near-as-great-as-they-used-to-be.php
10. Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer had the California surfer good looks when he broke into the scene in the Zuckerfest comedy Top Secret!. He was Ice Man in Top Gun, Mad Martigan in Willow and even took a turn as Batman. He got to hang with the heavyweights in Heat alongside Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. He was so good as Jim Morrison in the Doors – both in looks and talent – it appeared he was destined for a long life of top billing… even if it was only for a Doors Tribute Band.
So what happened?
Val’s a bit of an enigma. His career started to take a downturn after his divorce in 1995, shortly after appearing as Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever and the widely panned remake of The Saint. Rumors persisted that he was difficult to work with from early on his career, including nearly getting in a fist fight with Tom Cruise on Top Gun and not wishing to work with Joel Schumacker again after Batman, resulting in George Clooney driving the final nail in the coffin of the ’90s franchise. He has had some critical acclaim in smaller roles such as Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and even was the voice of KITT in the short-lived remake of Knight Rider. So there’s that.
Five Actors You Should Never Fight for Creative Control:
http://www.nerve.com/entertainment/2010/07/23/five-actors-you-should-never-fight-for-creative-control
2. Val Kilmer
Stories of Val Kilmer’s ornery attitude first appeared around the time of the aforementioned Island of Dr. Moreau. Val brought a boatload of problems to that movie, which he only agreed to do for the chance to work with Brando. Creative arguments lead to the firing of Moreau’s original director Richard Stanley three days into filming; Kilmer is said to have influenced that decision. Stanley was replaced by veteran John Frankenheimer, who fared no better with the irritable Kilmer, later remarking, “There are two things I will never ever do in my whole life: I will never climb Mt. Everest, and I will never work with Val Kilmer ever again.” Brando himself was on the director’s side, telling Kilmer he was “confusing [his] talents with the size of [his] paycheck.” Directors as varied as Oliver Stone and Joel Schumacher have reported similar difficulties with Val; he apparently stopped speaking to Schumacher for two weeks during the making of Batman Forever because the director had reprimanded him over his verbal abuse of a low-ranking crew member. The actor has waged a few insane battles offscreen as well; his relationship with supermodel Cindy Crawford hit a rocky patch when he objected to the logo on a hat she once wore in public, and more recently he was forced to apologize for referring to his current home of San Miguel County, NM, as “the homicide capital of the Southwest” where “eighty percent of the people… are drunk.”
15 Directors Unceremoniously Fired Or Replaced On A Movie:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/15-directors-unceremoniously-fired-or-replaced-on-a-movie-20130322?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook&page=2#blogPostHeaderPanel
“The Island of Dr. Moreau” (1996)
Original Director: Richard Stanley
Replacement Director: John Frankenheimer
What Happened: Stanley, a South African music video director and cult sensation for a pair of high-minded genre oddities (“Hardware” and “Dust Devil”), had been developing a new version of “The Island of Dr. Moreau” for more than four years, finally securing a green light from New Line Cinema and the participation of Marlon Brando, who had agreed to play the titular doctor who created a colony of animal/human hybrids on his own private island. Val Kilmer, who was originally scheduled to play the role that wound up being portrayed by David Thewlis, was even more difficult than normal (he was going through a divorce) and, after demanding his role be cut by 40% (he was reassigned to play the doctor’s assistant), delivered lines of dialogue that were garbled and unusable, in a performance said to be even more bizarre than what Brando’s ended up being. The studio, blaming Stanley for Kilmer’s insubordination, fired him, and brought in John Frankenheimer, who was drawn to the project because of the material and the chance to work with Brando. The problems, of course, didn’t stop there – Rob Morrow, originally cast in the role of the marooned UN ambassador, left with Stanley, and Frankenheimer saw a complete script overhaul, with pages being rewritten on the fly (Thewlis claims to have scripted most of his scenes himself). Kilmer, meanwhile, continued to terrorize everyone on set, which seemed to be a place of general unease, with the studio unhappy with the new direction Frankenheimer was taking but, at that stage in the game, unable to set things right. The finished movie showcases the hotbed of neuroses and creative second-guessing that permeated the set, although there are some things to admire, particularly Stan Winston’s creature work and elements of Brando’s bug-nuts performance (the scene where he has an ice bucket on his head is some kind of madcap classic); appropriately animalistic.
Apparently, Kim Basinger had a hard time making “The Real McCoy” w/ Val Kilmer:
http://www.avmaniacs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46334&p=829929&viewfull=1#post829929
Much earlier in this thread, someone asked “Does Val Kilmer have a career-killing personality?” – This reminded me of a quote by Kim Basinger, who starred in and produced “The Real McCoy.” She fought to get him cast in the film, and then watched as he went out of his way to deliver the most half-assed performance possible.
She described his work as a deliberate attempt to sabotage the film.
Kim’s career is truly amazing. So many fuck-ups, and yet she remained on the A list longer than any blonde bombshell in cinematic history except Goldie Hawn. An underestimated accomplishment.
I think you’re too easy on regular joes for getting fat. Really, staying in shape takes basic self-control and a couple of hours in the gym. People are just irresponsible, lazy fucks. The same goes for people who ‘can’t save money’, usually it’s a rationalization for personality flaws.
Well, I guess not everyone has their shit together like you do. I wish I could be more like you, Lol.
What is it with everyone this morning?
One of the funniest articles I’ve read in a long time!
Thanks!
You’re more than welcome. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment.
http://www.frontroomcinema.com/frcs-fallen-icon-2-val-kilmer/
Whatever Happened To?:
http://www.bigthoughtsfromasmallmind.com/2010/05/whatever-happened-to_19.html
Granted today’s selection has been working steadily, in straight-to-DVD releases, for a few years now. Yet when was the last time you saw Val Kilmer in a lead role on the big screen? I know he has a bad reputation for being a bit of a diva on set, but I think Kilmer has paid his dues in B-movie purgatory. It is time for him to jumpstart his career again like John Travolta did back in the 90’s.
Val Kilmer
Career Highlights: Top Gun (1986), Willow (1988), Heat (1995), Top Secret (1984), Tombstone (1993), The Doors (1991), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2004), The Salton Sea (2002)
Low Points: Mindhunters (2004), The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), Red Planet (2000), Alexander (2004), At First Sight (1999), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), The Real McCoy (1993)
Last Seen: The Bad Lieutenant: The Port of Call New Orleans (2009)
Where You Will See Him Again: The SNL-inspired comedy MacGruber; and The Irishmen with Ray Stevenson
I agree. I too think it’s time for him to come back to the big screen. Soon, I hope.
Which Actor/Actress Has Had The Biggest Fall From Grace Since Burt Reynolds?
http://forums.wrestlezone.com/showpost.php?p=4454401&postcount=4
I’m going to nominate someone who never reached great heights in terms of awards, but definitely popularity. And how far he’s fallen is noteworthy. (Plus some of my other choices were taken)
Val Kilmer:
He came out of the gate fast with Top Gun. Then he became very popular in the early 90′s (to include a great character in Doc Holliday). His popularity alone is the reason he was cast as Batman in Batman Forever. That’s the same reason Jim Carrey was cast as The Riddler. Heat was another good movie. And from there he started to fall off. He was nominated for Razzies mostly beyond that point. Searching back on imdb, I had to go to the year 2000 (Red Planet) to find a movie I knew he was in. Pretty much for the last several years or so he’s been making straight to DVD movies. Not to mention how awful he looks compared to his old days.
I’m inclined to say he was never a big star, despite some big paychecks. That writeup has too much asskissing (“His popularity alone is the reason he was cast as Batman”). Yeah right, what popularity? He never starred in a hit film (except Batman, but that would have been a hit no matter who was cast). A lot of his movies have gained bigger followings on DVD, but he was not a box office star.
I can’t think of any actor who’s had as big a fall from grace as Burt Reynolds. There is none, I really don’t think there is. Most of the WTHHT about men on this blog are really just retrospectives. Nic Cage, Matthew Broderick, Kevin Costner, John Travola, Jude Law, Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams…these guys are still getting cast in mainstream movies, there’s not much of a fall from grace for any of them.
The WTHHT is mostly applicable to the women, especially Meg Ryan and Demi Moore…..HUGE falls from grace, from hero to zero types. And many others, Melanie Griffith, Daryl Hannah, Helen Hunt…less dramatic but still a big fall from grace. None of them are still starring in mainstream movies. But all of the men are.
Addressing the topic of Burt Reynolds….. Lebeau, I think he would make for a really great write-up someday. I’ve read before that Burt Reynolds was actually the biggest box-office draw of the 70′s, which I don’t doubt. Even when the 80′s started, he was still a big movie star and a box-office draw, Smokey and the Bandit II was the 8th biggest film of 1980, and I remember seeing Cannonball Run as a kid to a packed theatre, and according to Wikipedia it was the 6th biggest hit of 1981. So he went into the 80′s at least still holding onto his mantle. But then all of a sudden, he starred in a string of box office duds for a number of years, and by the end of the decade he was starring on a tv show (and this was way back when doing television still seemed like slumming, unlike today). I’m not sure if he just did too many disappointing movies in a row or if America just lost interest in him quickly, but something happened to his career in a hurry. It might be fun exploring that rise-and-fall (and brief comeback later).
I realize Burt Reynold’s career goes much further back than any other actor you’ve covered so far Lebeau, and as such there would be a lot more homework involved in researching his career, but hopefully you’ll at least consider doing a write-up sometime in the future.
You have hit on it. Reynolds is a perfect candidate for WTHH. He’s just a lot more work! I’m so lazy. I will definitely get to Reynolds at some point. It’s just a matter of finding the time to devote to him. When I do it, I have to do it right and that’s going to take time. I could spend months just sorting out who he slept with and who he punched.
What’s With Burt Reynolds’ Career?
http://articles.philly.com/1987-05-07/news/26165000_1_city-heat-cannonball-run-ii-movie-star
By BEN YAGODA, Daily News Movie Critic
POSTED: May 07, 1987
What happened to Burt Reynolds?
I realize the question is not earth-shattering – certainly not on the order of What did Gary Hart know and when did he know her? Or can Lance Parrish hit National League pitching? – but it does carry some weight.
Reynolds, 51, started his acting career in the late ’50s, progressing from B-movie hunk (“Navajo Joe,” “100 Rifles”), to occasional TV series star (“Dan August,” “Hawk”), to talk-show-circuit regular, where his deadpan humor was a funny and appealing contrast to his macho image. (Who could forget the time Johnny shmeared shaving cream on Burt’s black leather pants?)
Then, in 1972, two things combined to make him a movie star: the film ”Deliverance” and his nude appearance in the centerfold of ”Cosmopolitan” magazine. Through the ’70s, he made some interesting films (“The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing,” “Starting Over”) and some incredibly popular ones (hillbilly car epics like “White Lightning,” “Smokey and the Bandit” and “Cannonball Run”). For four consecutive years starting a decade ago, Reynolds was named by movie exhibitors as the top box-office attraction in the world.
Then came the fall. It was brought about, first, by a remarkable series of bad films: “Stroker Ace,” “Cannonball Run II,” “The Man Who Loved Women,” “City Heat” and “Stick,” true turkeys that were disdained by critics and ignored by moviegoers.
To make matters worse, Reynolds became seriously ill after an injury sustained during a fight scene in “City Heat” (his ill-fated collaboration with Clint Eastwood) turned into a serious jaw disorder. Literally adding insult to injury were the rumors that sprang up – and refused to go away – that Reynolds had AIDS. The actor persistently denied them, but they unquestionably hurt his standing in the industry.
In any case, Reynolds didn’t act in a movie for three years. Then he jumped back with a vengeance, making three consecutives films in less than a year. ”Heat” opened a couple of months ago. It was terrible. “Malone” opened last week. It was terrible. “Rent-a-Cop,” which co-stars Liza Minnelli as a prostitute befriended by cop Burt, won’t be out until Christmas, but unless it’s a combination of “8 1/2″ and “Gone with the Wind,” it can’t possibly be good enough to salvage the comeback.
So what happened? Several factors seem clear.
* Reynolds has a limited ability. He is not without charm or skill, but it turns out not to be the kind of talent that wears well. Classic stars like John Wayne or Gary Cooper or, more recently, Clint Eastwood could get away with doing the same thing year after year. Reynolds can’t.
* He is on the “B” list. For reasons that have to do both with these limited skills and, no doubt, a kind of class prejudice against him, Reynolds – especially now that he has fallen from the top of the box-office list – simply doesn’t get sent first-rate material, doesn’t get rung up by major directors.
A reporter recently asked him why he doesn’t just call a director he wants to work with and suggest a project – the way Paul Newman did with Martin Scorcese in “The Color of Money.” Reynolds’ answer was poignant and pointed: “I don’t have the cachet Paul does. He could just play characters he did in the past that started with the letter H. Can you imagine me phoning a major director and asking if they wanted to direct me as ‘the Bandit’ 25 years later?”
* He is a poor judge of material. This, after all, is the man who turned down the Jack Nicholson part in “Terms of Endearment” in favor of “Stroker Ace.” And anyone who actually read the scripts of “Heat” and “Malone” and actually decided to base a comeback on those turgid, humorless, suspenseless wastes of time should be taken off the road.
The shallow solemnity of these movies, probably their least appealing quality, is no accident, either. Reynolds is on record as being determined not to make his career a case of good-old-boy redux. He turned down “Cannonball Run III,” and defended “Heat” and “Malone” in a recent interview by saying “At least they are serious films . . . At least I’m . . . doing films that take me out of a car.”
This is an admirable decision, but since he seems to be shut out from really serious films, it leaves him with tripe.
So what can Reynolds do to get himself out of the corner he’s been painted into? I’ve already gone on record with my suggestion, but in case Burt wasn’t listening, I’ll say it again. Start playing character parts, especially villains. Reynolds certainly doesn’t need the money top billing brings (he says he got $2 million for “Heat” and $3 million each for “Malone” and ”Rent-a-Cop”), and I wouldn’t think he has a moral, psychological or any other kind of need to always be the good guy. Reynolds has always talked about
himself as a real actor; being the bad guy for once would give him the chance to really act. It would also give him the chance to finally take off that ridiculous and annoying hairpiece – and that might be the best career move of all.
Why did Burt Reynolds’ career founder after Boogie Nights?
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=611923