Val Kilmer Got Paid At Least $2k Per Second In Second ‘Top Gun’ Film

Val Kilmer made a bit of a comeback as Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky in the 2022 installment of the Top Gun franchise. Even though his part was brief, Kilmer was paid handsomely for showing up. Since the first Top Gun in 1986, he has remained a must-see character in the sequel. Even star Tom Cruise said he wouldn’t do Top Gun: Maverick if Kilmer wasn’t in it in some capacity.

After getting diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015, the 63-year-old actor took a break from acting, so his appearance in the recent movie was a surprise to fans. He underwent two tracheostomies that altered his vocal cords and ability to speak.

Kilmer spoke with the help of AI

One may wonder how Kilmer was able to speak as he did in Top Gun: Maverick, which was released thirty-six years after the original. Thankfully, his character, Iceman, could talk properly with the help of artificial intelligence, and Kilmer admitted to being emotional when he first heard Iceman’s AI voice.

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In the scene, Iceman and Maverick reunited after he had risen through the ranks to become a four-star admiral. It was a heartfelt moment for fans and Kilmer, who previously mentioned how much he wanted to return to the franchise.

He got a big check for his 3-minute scene

Although his exact paycheck for his work in the movie was unclear, ScreenRant speculated Kilmer got between $400,000 and $2 million for the short scene. This would mean he earned between $2,222 to $11,111 per second for his 3-minute appearance in Maverick.

While he made a good buck from the successful film, Kilmer wrote about his health in his memoir I’m Your Huckleberry. He detailed how he woke up vomiting blood and calling 911 before his diagnosis years ago. “It has taken time and taken a toll… Speaking, once my joy and lifeblood, has become an hourly struggle,” he wrote.

He also joked that he now sounds like “Marlon Brando after a couple of bottles of tequila,” adding, “It isn’t a frog in my throat. More like a buffalo.”