Working With Val 3

Working With Val (3)

Ron Howard

Director, Willow On casting Kilmer as Madmartigan

"I’ve always felt that Val Kilmer was a good actor. He came in on several interviews and really exhibited a passion for the project. He’s an interesting blend because he clearly lives up to one’s expectations of a leading man in this kind of genre, and yet he has a kind of a light touch, and is capable of doing the humor. He took to the sword fighting beautifully."

"Bill Hobbs, our fight arranger, said Val was one of the best, if not the best, actor he has ever worked with, in the sword fights."

"Val is such a good actor that he can turn a joke, run and pick up a sword, then do a serious acting moment and never make a false step. Discovering that Val was so great at the physical aspects of the film, I felt blessed in the same way I did when I discovered Darryl Hannah could hold her breath under water for more than a minute."

Mr. Leary Historical Reference, Tombstone

"When I worked with Val he was very quiet, kind, extremely funny - very laid back and a bit hard to keep on track. He is very, very smart and really took great care in representing his character as accurately as he could."

"He is a very intense personality but is not overpowering. He didn’t like to be interrupted for petty things like hair and makeup while he was talking to someone or thinking out a scene. . . "

"Val was a pleasure to work with and I would love to have the chance to do it again."

Irwin Winkler Director, At First Sight

"Unquestionably intelligent but charmingly spacy, he wanders from topic to topic, speaking with quiet intensity but also veering off into tangents, mixing family and religion and career into a bracing but occasionally confounding conversational stew."

"I had a wonderful experience in spite of all the naysayers."

"Some people expect an actor to do what he’s told and never open his mouth. But Val has lots of great ideas, and he should be listened to."

"And one of the reasons that I cast Val is because he’s very in touch with nature and very in touch with himself."

"Yet Val continues to get major jobs and a major price tag, that should tell you something."

"When I met Val, I have to admit I was charmed by him. He worked incredibly hard and like him so much. I still socialize with him. Brains can scare a lot of people in Hollywood."

Stephen Hopkins

Director,

The Ghost and the Darkness

"A great help on a demanding production."

"Val is a very vulnerable and fragile person. I think that’s why his performances are so good. He dares to let his own interior workings come out on screen."

"Val always has a specific point of view for a scene. I learned quickly that the best thing is to let him try what he wants. It saves a lot of hassles and he’s usually right."

"It was because of Val’s participation that we were able to get The Ghost and the Darkness made. It needed a star attached before it could get made. Val offered his services. He’d been to the location where it took place. He was dedicated to the film from the outset."

"Val was a real pussycat during the rigorous shoot in Africa. We were all a bit nervous about Val’s arrival because we’d been hearing the horror stories about what was happening in Australia on Dr. Moreau, but Val came to us in a great, co-operative mood."

Michael Hackenberger Lion Trainer and Owner The Ghost and the Darkness

"Val’s very professional. I mean, he’s done this a lot. He loves Africa and it was just a real pleasure working with him. What struck me about Val an a personal level is the deep commitment he has to Africa and its people."

"From what I saw making the movie and I know he’s done a number of documentaries on Africa and the problems - Africa has lots of problems."

"Val’s involved with bringing those problems to a western perspective and seeing if there are resources to help those problems. So he’s deeply committed to Africa and its people. It’s nice to see that level of caring. He doesn’t have to do this so it’s pretty good."

Tim Blake Nelson Actor, Wonderland

"In him (Val) the line between the character he is playing and who he is, is missing in a way that, at least for the depth of the characters that I try and play, I wish I could achieve. It never occurred to me that he was difficult. I just thought: ‘Wow, this guy is unpredictable in the way that people are unpredictable.’ His acting skills, in the best possible way, are not always completely under his control, and he lets go in a way that I think is probably painful and dangerous for him as a person. I think he is a remarkable actor."

"There were moments working with Val when I didn’t know what as going to happen next. You felt almost in danger. There was an intensity on the set like I’ve never experienced before. It wasn’t always enjoyable."

"This (Wonderland) will restore faith in those who don’t believe that Val Kilmer is one of our best film actors working today."

Antony Hoffman Director, Red Planet

"You have to hold your own against him. He kept me on my toes. But he’s very generous. He has a charming quality about him, but he also can go to a very intense place where no one knows what the hell he’s thinking. He’s always thinking, and he has moody spells. You just have to work with them, or work through them."

Wesley Strick

Screenwriter, The Saint

Describing meeting Val on the set of

The Ghost & the Darkness in Africa

"After two 11-hour flights, a one-hour Cessna ride deep into the bush, then an hour-long Jeep ride, I arrived at Kilmer’s tent. He was living in complete isolation, like someone out of Conrad. He’d rigged up all these devices (such as a water heater for his outdoor bathtub). He had gone native."

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