Tom Cruise remembers 'Top Gun' co-star Val Kilmer

Tom Cruiseactor

I need you to trust me one last time,

says Cruise's character, in what Paramount is marketing as supposedly the final movie of the franchise

It revealed how much I had to gain from working with people who have different abilities

Mercedes continued

Val Kilmeractor

We are so proud of him and honored to see his legacy celebrated,

the actor's two kids, who Val shared with ex Joanne Whalley, said

It's obvious my dad's speech is compromised and so this whole experience revealed the personal effort I had put into working with actors with a disability, which I hadn't done before,

she explained

Mercedes and the producer met, and they all had a ball,

he told People of how they ended up on the same film

He didn’t do it for personal glory, not just to make a film, but truly in recognition of the responsibility that we have for others, for our industry,

Cruise said

We met in LA in my screening room and we spent hours together talking about movies. And from that meeting, I knew that he was an artist that I was going to work with for the rest of my life. I absolutely knew that he was a creative brother who shares the same love and passion for cinema,

Cruise said

Christopher McQuarriedirector

It’s been an honor and a privilege to work with you, to learn from you, and to place you in harm’s way for other people’s entertainment,

McQuarrie joked to Cruise while accepting the award

Brian Robbinshusband Paramount boss

I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished at Paramount Pictures in the midst of all the noise going on at our parent company,

Robbins said

Mark Hamillstar Wars actor

I actually did an episode of SpongeBob in the fifth season and I did such a good job, they asked me back 18 years later,

said Mark Hamill, who stars in the latter as The Flying Dutchman

Glen Powellstar

Now, more than ever, we need movies in the movie theaters that bring people from all different backgrounds and ideologies together, for one simple reason: to be entertained,

Powell said before elaborating on the lengths to which he would go to entertain audiences

Most people are still finding their voices at that age, but McQ had already written a film that changed the cinematic landscape,

Cruise said

Thank you Val. I wish you well on your next journey. Thank you all for doing that. I know he appreciates it.”

He said

If we just all take a moment to remember the wonderful time we had with him – let’s just take a moment, ... I wish you well on your next journey."

he said before closing with

John Frankenheimerdirector

There are two things I will never ever do in my whole life: I will never climb Mt. Everest and I will never work with Val Kilmer ever again.”

Batman Forever director Joel Schumacher described Val, who only played the caped crusader once,

Tom refrained from our revelry, with good reason. From day one, he was laser-focused on a singular goal - to become the greatest action hero in the history of film.”

Val said

I can’t tell you how much I admired his work, how much I thought of him as a human being and how grateful and honored I was when he joined ‘Top Gun’ and came back for ‘Top Gun: Maverick,

Cruise said, according to Collider

I'd like to honor a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer

Taking to the stage at the Colosseum at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas for CinemaCon 2025, Cruise said per Variety

I think it would be really nice if we could have a moment together because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us

added the ex of Katie Holmes

The secret pain that Michelle and I shared created an intimacy between us.

He described the connection they shared, saying