Tom Cruise on his tears during farewell to his friend and ‘Top-Gun’ co-star Val Kilmer

While Tom Cruise did not publicly shed tears during his farewell to Val Kilmer on April 3, 2025, at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, he did speak emotionally about his “dear friend” and recounted a previous experience where he was moved to tears during their reunion for Top Gun: Maverick.

Here’s a breakdown of what happened:

• CinemaCon Tribute: During his appearance at CinemaCon to promote Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Cruise took a moment to honor Val Kilmer, who had passed away on April 1st. He called for a moment of silence, saying, “I’d like to honor a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer. I can’t tell you how much I admired his work, how grateful and honored I was when he joined Top Gun and came back later for Top Gun: Maverick… I wish you well on the next journey.” While reports don’t explicitly state Cruise was tearful at this moment, his words conveyed deep respect and affection for his late co-star.  

  

• Emotional Reunion on Top Gun: Maverick: In a February 2023 interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Cruise spoke about filming the reunion scene with Kilmer for Top Gun: Maverick. He revealed that the experience was deeply emotional and that he “was crying” and “got emotional” during filming. He emphasized his long-standing friendship with Kilmer and how powerful it was to see him reprise the role of Iceman.

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