Val Kilmer is a great actor, but he brought nothing new to the character of Batman. Kilmer may not be the best Batman, but he will forever be remembered as one. He has recently reflected on what it was like to play Caped Crusader in Batman Forever.
Kilmer was a big fan of Batman growing up. His love for the character was so massive that he accepted the role in 1995’s Batman Forever without even reading the script or knowing who was directing the film.
But the character didn’t come out as what he had expected initially. He kept receiving mediocre reviews for his portrayal and being compared to other Dark Knight actors later.
His disappointment with the movie began long ago on set before it came out in the public eye. Kilmer also revealed a discomfort in filming scenes with Nicole Kidman in Joel Schumacher’s flick.
Val Kilmer’s Struggle in Batman Forever While Filming With Nicole Kidman
The documentary Val by directors Leo Scott and Ting Poo is about Val Kilmer‘s life and career. It is illustrated via the actor’s own recordings. In the documentary, the Billy the Kid star said, “Whatever boyhood excitement” he “had was crushed by the reality of the Batsuit.”
Kilmer hated wearing the Batsuit in the 1995 film. The suit was made of extremely hard rubber, which made it difficult to act. Due to this, he was highly restricted from moving.
The Hollywood actor claims he was jealous of his co-stars Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey, who were able to play their respective characters loosely, Two-Face and The Riddler. Whereas he was left with the only choice, which he explained in the documentary:
“I think it made no difference what I was doing. I tried to be like an actor on a soap opera. When I would turn to Nicole [Kidman]…I couldn’t count how many times I put my hands on my hips.”
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No doubt he would have been extremely embarrassed while doing so in the scenes with Kidman. But to make himself comfortable, he made his own way by putting his hand on his hips to express himself.
One Thing About Val Kilmer in Batman Forever Made Nicole Kidman Envious
Even though Kilmer didn’t like his look, he got something in the film that Kidman was envious of. The actress has often shared she enjoyed flirtatious doctor Chase Meridian. But she thought her role was very much exaggerated in terms of her looks.
That’s definitely a crux of the matter because here, Kilmer didn’t like his Batsuit, whereas Kidman said her role was too overly. The actress quipped in an interview with EW that Meridian wears “black slinky dresses, has perfect hair, perfect red lips, and talks in a deep, husky voice. It’s definitely a heightened reality. Really over-the-top.”
Years later, when Kidman became a more established Hollywood star, she looked back and said to Yahoo Movies that she wished to have “more of a role, though.” The Northman actress continued:
“It’s great being the girl in the Batman movie. But I’m an actor and you go, ‘Gosh I want more to do.’ So I would still love to do some sort of superhero movie where I get to do the cool stuff.”
So, it’s all sorted. One of the most renowned Hollywood stars, Nicole Kidman, wanted to have more screen time in superhero film. She compared it to the timing that Kilmer received. Hearing such remarks is no less than a compliment itself, which makes Kilmer’s Caped Crusader even more worthy today.