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April 22, 2002
By
Veronica Mixon
Whenever Val Kilmer enters a room, the party
begins. Dressed is a dark stylish suit, the handsome
actor decides to stand until he feels comfortable
talking with you. And under the watchful eyes
of his personal publicists, Kilmer makes candid,
honest off the cuff remarks that express his personal
philosophy and emotional reaction to all of the
tabloid reports about his love life, conflicts
on the set or his aloofness.
On a quiet Sunday afternoon at the plush New
York Drake hotel, Val Kilmer talks about his startling,
well-crafted performance in his latest film, The
Salton Sea. People will be talking about this
film for years to come and wonder how close the
character is to the versatile actor who dazzled
audiences in such films as The Doors, Tombstone,
Heat and Top Gun.
THE INTERVIEW
Can I stand for a while?
Yeah, no problem.
Who designed your black suit?
Are you serious? Ok, my socks are Sears. It's
a Gucci suit. Why is that funny? Some people do
that, right. They wear dresses and have to give
them back.
Do you see this as kind of a film noir?
I have to give my underwear back. That's a whole
other story.
Are they designer underwear?
[He whispers] I was kidding . They're not mine.
Do we get to find out whom they belong to?
I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you. I'm
sorry.
OK, do you see this as a film noir and you're
playing like a Robert Mitchum kind of character?
I see it as a light comedy but no one's buying
my version.
Why is it light comedy?
I'm kidding. Noir is black and white. And there
are very few color films that are made under whaddya
call it noir rules. I think Chinatown is.
So I think elements are influenced by it, but
it's not a noir. And I forgot your question. Can
I have some coffee cause I'm just so down now?
[He goes over to a table and pours himself some
coffee.]
What did you find out about crystal methamphetamine?
I was talking to a guy and he said I just had
a lot to do. I asked what were you doing [and
he said] I was operating a backhoe and I wanted
to design buildings and just, you know it took
up a lot of time.
How did you meet these guys?
I went to the mailroom in CAA. Can I say that?
[His publicist nods "no."] I can't say
that.
What was the scene like with that -- was it
a raccoon?
A badger.
Yeah, wasn't it scary? What was it like?
Well, it was a real badger and the director of
photography put his hands on it and he almost
got his finger bit off cause you saw the claws
in it. They were not CGI claws. It was easy to
act that scene cause he's there making those noises.
The directors said don't make him angry and the
weasel went Agrrrrrrr!!!!
A lot of people are happy to see Val Kilmer
in a big movie again. Did you get a vibe about
that?
No, I think about that all the time.
Do you? No. I've been really happy that people
are enjoying it because it's a risky subject.
I was proud and grateful that Castle Rock didn't
smooth out the rough edges in this script. When
I read it I thought they were going to cause you
know it's just kind of happens now and even more
don't you agree? Movies are safer and safer. You
turn on television and see some hip movie of the
70s and snot's coming out of the girl's nose cause
she's crying and somebody says something'. They
get shocked now like it's a big deal. Movies are
just safe now especially coming out of Hollywood.
But this is really gritty and raw?
Yeah, that's why I was cheering when "Magnolia"
came out cause it's just crazy. I think it was
wonderful they wanted make a hard film. Apparently
D. J. [director D. J. Caruso] said that when Rob
Reiner saw the picture, he stood and said they
finally made a dangerous movie because that was
something that they've been looking to do at Castle
Rock.
Is crystal methamphetamine still a big problem?
It's bigger than ever. It's huge. It's cheap
to make and they're selling it cheap and kids
don't know how bad it really is. You feel like
Superman the first time you do it and it's never
like that after. It's just vicious.
Did you ever have a crystal methamphetamine
problem?
No.
Well, you said you feel like Superman the
first time?
No, I've never done it. I didn't want to do it.
You hear someone tell a story about acid and it's
just funny and fun. Have you seen a lot of those
'70s movies that were about drugs like Needle
Park? Sure. Have you ever seen the one about
speed? It's called Vanishing Point. I thought
the film was pretty. Some of the shots were amazing.
Well, it was stylized and I think that that too
is representative of the environment. I think
the writer used this environment to examine a
way to see into this character's mind and spirit.
He's frozen like a skip in the record. He can't
move off this moment in his life of losing his
wife and that the way I saw everything in it.
Some things were just personal taste or concerns
as an actor when I read the script because the
styles are so extreme. You know they're just straight
out melodrama in some of the moments as they are
scripted and some of the comedy is really raw.
Was it a risky choice on your part?
No, I saw it - [as] challenging. It was risky
with a first time director, if you're talking
about career or profession stuff. But twenty minutes
after we started talking, I didn't think about
first time director. It's really hard to make
a movie. He was so thorough and ready to go, I
was just and also it didn't hurt that Frank Darabont
was right next to it. So you could feel that DJ
had walked into a pretty classy set up.
There are so many weird things written about
you. Do you ever feel misunderstood?
No, never. I live a perfect life.
Do you think they ever get it wrong about
you?
I think those things are certainly not relevant
to how I live or how you guys function. I never
suffered what most successful actors at some point
that fake stuff or things to sell a story or something
get crossed into the actual work to where someone
said they're a bad actor. They shouldn't be allowed,
why do they have that stupid nose, you know what
I mean that, it's never happened so I think by
now it won't happen.
What about the reports about you and Tom Sizemore
on Red Plant?
Tom felt awful. He was getting divorced. She
had put a restraining order on him and somehow,
like an actor can have a restraining order put
on another actor. Someone talked about me once
getting someone fired on Dr. Moreau, I
said you talk to Robert Redford. Nobody can get
a director fired, nobody, nobody. I think there's
a law because of Clint Eastwood because he took
over directing the film. That an actor cannot
take over directing a film, cause otherwise, there
would be no directors ever finish a movie (he
laughs uproarishly). What did you say, you're
outta here!!! It's my film now.
Does it get to a point where it doesn't hurt
anymore?
No it hurts, particularly doing the divorce.
I'm really a devoted dad and some things that
were said were very specific to damage my opportunity
to raise my children. Very specific quotes that
you know everyone's had friends that got divorced
you know what happens. A psychologist examines
you and they write up a report. So they were saying
very specific things about my character. You can't
read anything professional because it's libelous
and I'll put them in jail now. Now I realize I
have to fight back. Something happened on Salton
Sea I called the guy out there and I hired a lawyer
this time
What happened?
They said I threw a bottle at the director. I
mean that's a serious thing. That's a criminal
['assault'], right. So the first thing I did was
go through the process of hiring the lawyer but
when I found out what my responsibilities were,
it shows you how naïve I was. He said they won't
print a retraction and they won't apologize so
if that's what your motive is then forget. I mean
this is a guy who making $500 buck an hour, he's
telling me not to hire him. But I said I want
to do it any way. They did print a retraction
and they apologized so I feel like the right thing
was done. The subject of the story is about justice
and I don't think anything about the motives of
the person that's doing it.
People do stupid things. Doesn't it affect
your ability to get a job?
A lie is a lie and the truth is the truth. I've
made my employers over a billion dollars, so I
don't think Ted Turner cares. I mean, I happen
to know him [laughs]. I know he doesn't care that
they write a story about it because they're saying
he sleeps with yaks or whatever the writer says.
He says some crazy stuff anyway, you know but
positively and negatively there are people you
have all interviewed some that are actors and
it's like why do they keep getting work because
they're not that good but they're social. You
know they get hired and they're nice and they
do the thing that gets them work. It's a social
business so that also has an affect negatively,
but not of any substance. They are genuinely criminal
activities going on by actors working on movie
sets and everybody is happy if the movie makes
money. It's not like we're a terribly moral industry.
So you still dislike the business?
You know what I used to really be? I came from
you know Shakespeare and prose and poetry. My
background is theater so I have very noble ideas
about everything connected with storytelling so
I used to be a very harsh critic about Hollywood
and all of that. Plus being raised there you are
sort of inside and if you're not in the business,
you're kind of know everything about those things
more than if you were coming from Michigan. But
I suddenly realized one day when I was talking
about something silly. I thought you know what
this is totally wrong. This is a huge business
and we're the most honest big business in the
world. Some sleaze ball with the cigar wants the
chick with the fake boobs and the black car and
the big pool and he doesn't lie about it, that's
what he wants you know and I work some of them.
Look at my car, look my chick you know, not like
drug dealers where they're slinking around. They're
just right up front. They're a very straight up
business.
Before they drag you out?
I'm not leaving. He's settled down, he's fine.
Yeah, the coffee is slowing me down.
What is Mine Hunters?
It is a thriller. I've never had more fun. No,
it's with Christian Slater and LL Cool J and a
really, really wonderful actress Catherine Morris.
She's in Steven Spielberg's movie. It's a thriller
Ten Little Indians story so it's a great
part. I was there a week and a half in Amsterdam.
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