Will Forte has written about his friendship with Val Kilmer, recalling their time as roommates and a shared interest in joining The Amazing Race. The two actors first met while filming MacGruber, a movie based on the Saturday Night Live sketch spoofing action thrillers. Kilmer played the film’s villain, Dieter Von Cunth, opposite Forte in the title role.
Forte said that he had been a longtime admirer of Kilmer’s work, calling his casting in MacGruber something he hadn’t expected to happen. After filming, they became close and ended up living together for nearly three months when Kilmer needed a temporary place to stay.
“I got the impression that it was going to be a couple days,” Forte wrote in an essay for Vulture. “So he showed up on a Monday, and later that day, his assistant came over with two huge duffel bags filled with books… It ended up being two and a half months.”
Forte described the experience of living with Kilmer through a series of moments that included finding him reading in the dark with a miner’s headlamp, jogging in a linen suit, and wearing boxers on his head. “That was him — just full of surprises,” Forte wrote. “Just the most unique person I’ve ever met.”
One regular part of their time together was watching The Amazing Race. At first, Kilmer dismissed the show, but later changed his mind and became deeply engaged. He then proposed that the two of them sign up for the competition. “Will, you and I have to go do The Amazing Race. We have to. Let’s do The Amazing Race,” Kilmer told him.
Both actors were enthusiastic and contacted their representatives, but the idea was quickly rejected. Forte wrote that he still thinks about the missed opportunity. “That is, maybe to this day, the biggest regret of my whole career — that I never did The Amazing Race with Val. I think we would’ve gotten out very quickly, but it just would’ve been the experience of a lifetime.”
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Forte also wrote about Kilmer’s personality, describing him as playful and sharp. “He could be super-silly and then turn around and be a little frickin’ devil — but a sweet little devil,” he wrote. “Life is more vivid when you’re hanging out with Val.”
Kilmer died earlier this week at the age of 65 from pneumonia. He had previously been treated for throat cancer, which affected his ability to speak. He was known for roles in The Doors, Tombstone, The Saint, Thunderheart, Willow, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Batman Forever, and Top Gun: Maverick, which was his final screen credit.
