The Sunday Read: ‘What Happened to Val Kilmer?’
The Daily6 Huhti 2025

The Sunday Read: ‘What Happened to Val Kilmer?’

“The force of his will is the thing I remember about him,” says Taffy Brodesser-Akner, who wrote a profile of Val Kilmer for The New York Times Magazine in May 2020. “He was sure he was going to come back to his exact former self. ”

The two met for an interview just as a lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic seemed all but certain to happen.

Mr. Kilmer, who was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and had undergone a tracheotomy, was still performing. Mr. Brodesser-Akner credits him with providing “the first whiff of overarching hope and positivity that I’d witnessed in I couldn’t remember how many months.”

“What does somebody do when the thing that they are known for, which is being a superhero, which is being an action hero, which is being handsome, which is being this sort of picture of good health and vigor, what do you do next?” she said. “And a lot of people, they fade away. But that’s not how it went for Val. ”

Mr. Kilmer, who played classic roles such as Batman and Iceman in “Top Gun,” died on Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 65.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jaksot(2844)

Our Enduring Fascination With the Kennedys

Our Enduring Fascination With the Kennedys

“Love Story,” the FX limited series about John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s relationship, has taken audiences by storm. Its unstoppable wave of ’90s nostalgia has swept through the world of f...

29 Maalis 34min

'The Interview': What Is YouTube’s Dominance Doing to Us? We Asked Its C.E.O.

'The Interview': What Is YouTube’s Dominance Doing to Us? We Asked Its C.E.O.

Neal Mohan on A.I. slop, parental controls and his platform’s impact on our lives. Thoughts? Email us at theinterview@nytimes.com Watch our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheInterviewPodcast For tr...

28 Maalis 53min

The View of the War From a Florida Gas Station

The View of the War From a Florida Gas Station

For the past four weeks, soaring gas prices across the United States have become a symbol of the domestic impact of the war in Iran. Cameron Joudi, who owns and manages a gas station in Jacksonville, ...

27 Maalis 24min

The Airport Meltdown

The Airport Meltdown

For the past week, travelers flying across the United States have waited in security lines that snaked through airports and parking lots as Transportation Security Administration officers called out o...

26 Maalis 28min

Are Higher Energy Prices Here to Stay?

Are Higher Energy Prices Here to Stay?

Since the war in Iran began, President Trump has insisted that rising energy prices would be temporary. But strikes on natural gas facilities in the Persian Gulf last week have made the prospect of a ...

25 Maalis 24min

How China Made Itself Tariff-Proof

How China Made Itself Tariff-Proof

About a year into President Trump’s global trade war, China hasn’t just survived. It has emerged stronger than ever on the world stage. Keith Bradsher, the Beijing bureau chief for The New York Times,...

24 Maalis 31min

The Republican Identity Crisis Over the Iran War

The Republican Identity Crisis Over the Iran War

The war in Iran has created strong divisions among President Trump’s supporters. An anti-interventionist wing of the Republican coalition and some senior administration officials partial to Mr. Trump’...

23 Maalis 29min

Injections, Bone Hammering and the Pursuit of Peak Male Beauty

Injections, Bone Hammering and the Pursuit of Peak Male Beauty

If you’ve spent any time on social media recently, you’ve probably come across a video of a young, square-jawed influencer calling himself Clavicular. He has become the face of an internet subculture ...

22 Maalis 37min

Suosittua kategoriassa Politiikka ja uutiset

uutiscast
aikalisa
politiikan-puskaradio
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
tervo-halme
rss-podme-livebox
aihe
viisupodi
rss-ulkopoditiikkaa
rss-asiastudio
rss-pinnalla
the-ulkopolitist
radio-antro
rss-vaalirankkurit-podcast
et-sa-noin-voi-sanoo-esittaa
rss-mina-ukkola
rss-polikulaari-pitka-kiekko-ja-muut-ts-podcastit
rss-tasta-on-kyse-ivan-puopolo-verkkouutiset
rss-girls-finish-f1rst