Jim Carrey Pays Heartfelt Tribute to Val Kilmer: ‘A Generational Talent’

While they’re known for entirely different kinds of films, Jim Carrey and Val Kilmer are two actors who will be remembered for their talent. The past two days have been filled with emotional tributes to Kilmer, who was recognized as an actor who got lost in his roles. He got so immersed that he lamented in his memoir losing relationships in his quest to honor the character. Carrey and Kilmer only acted together in Batman Forever, but his extraordinary genius left a notable mark on Carrey.

Val Kilmer Recalls Frustrations With Batman Suit While Bonding With Jim Carrey

“I’m remembering Val Kilmer today with great admiration for him as a man and as a generational talent who left us an enviable legacy of indelible acting performances,” Carrey said in a statement shared with USA TODAY. “His greatest artistic achievements were rivaled only by the grace and courage with which he endured his life’s most challenging moments. Wishing his family so much love.”

Carrey’s moving words give a clue into his impression of Kilmer, both professionally and personally. Kilmer also expressed his admiration for his Batman Forever co-star and how they bonded during a C2E2 panel.

“It was sad with Jim Carrey, he just lost his father, and I just lost my dad before I did Tombstone,” he recalled. “So he’d come over, even though he was just skyrocketing. He’d done something right then that no one had done before — $300 million movies and giant openings. But yet, this was what was on his mind, so we talked quite a bit about press and things like that.”

Many praised Kilmer’s casting as Batman in Batman Forever, saying he was more comic accurate than Michael Keaton. But Kilmer found himself frustrated by the suit, which he felt severely inhibited his acting.

“It takes an hour to get dressed, and you can’t do it by yourself,” he said during a C2E2 panel. “Then you can’t hear, because there’s really no holes in it. You can’t turn your head, you can’t go to the bathroom by yourself.”

Val Kilmer Honored for ‘Brilliant’ Performances After His Death

Two of Kilmer’s most acclaimed performances were as Doc Holliday in the 1993 film Tombstone and Chris Shiherlis in 1995’s Heat. In a tribute to Kilmer on X, film critic Richard Roeper expressed disappointment that the film industry didn’t recognize him for his performances.

“Val Kilmer should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for “Tombstone” and for “Heat,” he wrote. “He was a brilliant presence in some of the most enduring films of his generation.”

Michael Biehn, who played one of the main antagonists in Tombstone, remembered Kilmer staying in character most of the time, whether the camera was rolling or not.

“There was a tension between us because our characters didn’t like one another, so we didn’t even interact on the set,” Biehn told CBS42. “I had a tendency to hang out with [actor] Powers Booth, and he [Kilmer] had a tendency to hang out with Kurt [Russell].”

Kilmer took his method acting a step further, wanting to show that Doc Holliday was suffering from tuberculosis. “He wanted the feeling of always being in pain and he used this glycerin spray on his face and neck,” Biehn recalled. “It was really hurting him, but I was admiring the fact that he used that, because I know it can be really difficult.”