Val Kilmer Once Shared the Two Roles He Loved Most in His Career

Val Kilmer once shared which two roles meant the most to him in his long acting career. Speaking to Vanity Fair and the Associated Press before his passing, Kilmer revealed that playing Mark Twain in Citizen Twain was at the top of his list.

He had always admired Twain’s storytelling and the layers behind the man himself. “Why Twain is so much fun to study—separately from his great literature—is that he was always concerned with truth and illusion. He was two different people. He had this character that he made up called Mark Twain, who is a shameless showman. He’ll do anything for money and anything for a laugh,” Kilmer said.

But Twain wasn’t the only role that Kilmer cherished. He also had a soft spot for playing Hamlet on stage. Before he became famous in movies like Top Gun, Kilmer loved performing live.

He told the Associated Press that acting in front of an audience gave him immediate feedback. “You get tremendous feedback from a live audience that cannot compare from what you draw from a crew in a studio. On stage, you can find out in 30 seconds whether or not you are effective with your ideas. In a film, you have to wait for a year and a half.”

Kilmer’s work with Twain and Shakespeare reflected his range as an actor. He could balance the theatrical, larger-than-life performances of Shakespeare with the everyday humanity of Twain’s characters. His dedication to exploring complex personalities made both stage and screen performances memorable, showing how much care he put into his craft throughout his career.

Kilmer’s choice of these two roles shows what he valued most as an actor: truth, depth, and connecting with an audience, whether in a theater or on the big screen. His passing this year leaves a legacy full of memorable performances that continue to inspire actors and fans alike.

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