Rest in peace, Val Kilmer. These are my three favorite performances of his, and Real Genius has to be one of my favorite movies ever. He gave us so many interesting characters and compelling moments – what an amazing talent.
I enjoyed learning about his life while watching the documentary “Val,” where it was touching to hear his son narrating his father’s words (after Val lost the use of his voice to throat cancer in 2014). Kilmer later made an AI clone of his voice, which was used in the film Top Gun: Maverick in his final role. Both he and his family expressed appreciation for what he called the “gift” of hearing his voice again. Despite the numerous problems with AI, I think this is a beautiful example of how the technology can give something meaningful to people.