ABC(LOS ANGELES) — Actor Val Kilmer is no stranger to telling the stories of others through film. Now, he’s telling a story close to his heart: his own.
In an exclusive interview with Good Morning America’s Chris Connelly, the actor spoke candidly about his life in the spotlight and his battle with throat cancer.
“I feel a lot better than I sound, but I feel wonderful,” Kilmer shared, referring to his garbled voice. The actor also opened up about his tracheotomy, which altered the way he speaks but helps him breathe.
“My lungs and throat swelled up as well,” he said of his diagnosis.
Known for his on screen roles in the ‘80s and ‘90s as Iceman in Top Gun and Jim Morrison in The Doors, Kilmer, 60, sat down for a virtual interview with Connelly to talk about his new memoir, I’m Your Huckleberry.
In addition to discussing the different aspects of his life, including cancer and the films he’s been in, he also details his past romances with high-profile Hollywood celebrities like Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer and Cindy Crawford.
“You have to be committed with a woman that’s as dynamic and as committed to their work as someone like Cindy Crawford, who was the number-one model on the planet at the time,” Kilmer said.
The actor was also married for eight years to his Willow co-star, Joanne Whalley, with whom he had two children.
Now, Kilmer is gearing up for his return to the big screen at the end of the year in Top Gun: Maverick, the highly anticipated Top Gun sequel, in which he’ll again play Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, opposite Tom Cruise.
“It was absolutely moving,” said Kilmer. “I really was surprised and Tom was wearing his jacket from the first movie and it was just very moving.”
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