"I wish you well on your next journey"—Tom Cruise pays tribute to friend Val Kilmer at CinemaCon 2025

Tom Cruise attended the 2025 CinemaCon, where he paid tribute to his former co-star and friend, Val Kilmer, who passed away on 1 April after battling pneumonia. The "Mission Impossible" star, who was at the event to promote the latest installment in the franchise, "Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning," took a moment to honor Kilmer. Cruise observed a minute of silence before saying,

"I wish you well on your next journey"

Val Kilmer famously starred with Tom Cruise in the the cult classic 1986 movie "Top Gun," portraying the iconic character of Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, opposite Cruise's Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. In 2022, Kilmer returned to play the iconic character in "Top Gun: Maverick."

According to a 2021 interview with People Magazine, producer Jerry Bruckheimer credited Val Kilmer's return to the film to Tom Cruise's constant efforts, emphasizing that it was Cruise who pushed for his former co-star to be included in the sequel. Kilmer at that point had only appeared in a few movies in the past decade because of his health struggles.

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More about Tom Cruise's appearance at CinemaCon 2025 as actor pays tribute to Val Kilmer

Tom Cruise took the stage at CinemaCon 2025 to first dedicate a few words to his late co-star and friend, Val Kilmer, saying:

"I'd like to take a moment before we get started today to honor a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer."

The "Jack Reacher" actor then expressed his deep appreciation for Val Kilmer and his body of work.

"I can't tell you how much I admired his work and him as a human being, how grateful and honored I was that he joined Top Gun and came back for Top Gun: Maverick."

Cruise then led the audience in observing a minute of silence, encouraging the audience to reflect on special moments and performances Kilmer had given to the world. He said,

"I think it would be really nice if we could just have a moment all together and just take a moment because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us with his performances with his films. If we could just all take a moment and just think about all the wonderful times that we had with him."

During his 2023 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Tom Cruise recounted the emotional experience of reuniting with Val Kilmer on the set of "Top Gun: Maverick."

"I just want to say that was pretty emotional. I've known Val for decades, and for him to come back and play that character… he's such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again."

He further added:

"I was crying, I was crying. I got emotional. He's such a brilliant actor, I love his work."

After the moment of silence, Tom Cruise added:

"Thank you Val. Thank you all for doing that. I know he appreciates it."

Following the touching tribute, Tom Cruise presented the trailer for his upcoming film, Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning, which is set to premiere on 23 May this year. He also took the opportunity to honor director Christopher McQuarrie, presenting him with the CinemaCon Director of the Year Award.