Val Kilmer's last cameo came by way of Top Gun: Maverick, when he reprised his role as Tom "Iceman" Kazansky. In the 2022 sequel, Kilmer returns as an Admiral following his promotion from Lieutenant and he finds himself face-to-face with his former on-screen rival, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, played, of course, by Tom Cruise.
The brief, albeit excruciatingly emotional, scene serves as a harsh reminder of the pain Kilmer endured following his throat cancer diagnosis. His vocal chords were damaged following a tracheotomy in 2014, so much so that AI technology was needed to regenerate his voice in his scene with Cruise.
And while most Kilmer fans will forever cherish that scene following his tragic death on Tuesday in Los Angeles at the age of 65, it's worth reminding his most ardent fans that Kilmer had one of the most iconic TV cameos ever when he appeared in season 1 of HBO's Entourage.
The hit show, which aired eight seasons from 2004 to 2011 and was executive produced by Doug Ellin, drew major celebrities from the onset, from Mark Wahlberg, David Faustino and Jessica Alba to Jimmy Kimmel, Luke Wilson, Larry David and Gary Busey. They, like the many celebs that would follow after the series became a hit, played themselves.
Except for one Val Kilmer.
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Kilmer had two memorable scenes as "The Sherpa" in season 1, episode 5. In the 2004 episode, dubbed "The Script and the Sherpa," Kilmer is unrecognizable in long blonde locks to match his equally long 'stash and beard. He also dons a green beanie, a beige robe and Birkenstocks. He steals the scene from the get-go, first kissing and hugging Fiona (Beau Garrett) before burying his nose in her armpits to breathe in her "ancient wisdom." Following the embrace, Kilmer immediately recognizes Johnny "Drama" (Kevin Dillon) and asks him, "When's the next season of Viking Quest?" The fictional series catapulted "Drama" to early stardom. Unfortunately, it got canceled seven years prior at that point, and "Drama" has been a struggling actor ever since.
"Bummer," Kilmer's character reacts. It's fitting that the Sherpa recognized "Drama," as Kilmer and Dillon co-starred in 1991's The Doors.
The Sherpa's mood immediately changes when he orders his lady friends to pick out some of his organically grown, pesticide-free "herbal supplements," or weed.
In the next scene, the group lounges on a bed of pillows as "Drama," "Turtle" (Jerry Ferrara), Vince (Adrian Grenier), and Eric (Kevin Connolly) are gobsmacked watching the Sherpa take a 25-second long bong rip.
Related: Val Kilmer Didn’t Want to Star in 'Top Gun’ as Iceman
"The Earth is moving. Did you feel that?" the Sherpa then asks the group. "Everything, all the time. The dimensions, we can't even see. Everything is evolving. Turtle, you're a dove."
When E asks the Sherpa if he's afraid of getting busted over his marijuana farm -- or as "Drama" declares, "the Field of f--king Dreams" -- Kilmer's character delivers one of the show's most iconic lines.
"Busted? I'm entrusted. I don't steal. I heal," he explains. "I like getting stoned, getting honed. My probation officer is one of my best customers. I'm a prisoner. I'm a prisoner of war, war on drugs. Sounds so negative man. I mean, the man's most positive, positive-tive is a negative, is a mega negative. Right? Viking quest! Let them be low. We are getting high. We're not getting f--ked down, we're getting f--ked up."
But his nonchalance turns into utter paranoia after E's cell phone rings, prompting the Sherpa to pull out a gun, point it at E and shout, "Don't touch it!" After realizing it's just a cell phone ringing -- and presumably not a ticking time bomb -- the Sherpa reverberates to nonchalance, but not before scanning the room and delivering his final line:
"Hey, anybody need some clean urine?"
Ellin and Stephen Levinson wrote the script to the episode, and Adam Bernstein directed it.
After season 1, the HBO series featured a long list of celebrities who played themselves, including the late Bob Saget, James Cameron, Mandy Moore, Snoop Dogg, Anna Farris, Sydney Pollack, Mary J. Blige, Matt Damon, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, and Martin Scorsese.
There's also a long list of celebrities who played fictional characters in the series, including Rainn Wilson, Ken Jeong and Artie Lange, Lisa Rinna, Kevin Pollak, Jeff Garlin, Carrie Fisher, and Bob Odenkirk.
But none came close to Kilmer's brilliance.
from Men's Journal https://ift.tt/mt7kwE1
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