While I wish most men would keep Angelina Jolie’s name out of their mouths, I’m halfway enjoying the fact that Val Kilmer apparently can’t shut up about how he fell deeply in love with Angelina at first sight. Kilmer has a new memoir, I’m Your Huckleberry, wherein he details his various run-ins, crushes and relationships with various famous women, including Cindy Crawford, Angelina Jolie and Daryl Hannah. Obviously, I’m most interested in the Jolie stuff, because I’ve always believed that during this moment in her life – circa 2003 – she was single and happily mingling with various famous men. But I don’t really think Val was the guy. I think she was mingling mostly with Colin Farrell during the Alexander production. But, again, Val Kilmer says it was love… on his side.
When a king falls for a queen. Val Kilmer admits in his new memoir, I’m Your Huckleberry, that he had feelings for his Alexander costar Angelina Jolie before they even started filming the 2004 epic.
“When people ask me what Angelina is like, I always say she’s like other women and other superstars, but just more,” the actor, 60, writes. “More gorgeous. More wise. More tragic. More magic. More grounded. Is it worth it? Worth knowing people who require weeks of effort to understand even a little? Yes.”
Kilmer explains that he met the Tomb Raider star, now 44, on a New York street shortly before director Oliver Stone cast them as King Philip II and Queen Olympias, respectively, in Alexander. “We developed a friendship,” he recalls. “I was around when Angie’s mom [Marcheline Bertrand] was losing her battle with cancer. They were living in her mom’s favorite hotel. Or maybe it was Angie’s. I happened to be staying there myself. It was meaningful and mortal and effortless and exquisite.”
The Batman Forever star admits he told Stone, now 73, that he would “only do [Alexander] if the king and queen could have flashbacks to falling hard for each other and storming the castle with passion, before turning against each other.” He writes that he “was only half kidding,” but the filmmaker “didn’t pick up on the humor.” Nevertheless, Kilmer looked forward to rehearsing with Jolie, who had recently separated from her second husband, Billy Bob Thornton.
“I couldn’t wait to kiss Angie, buy her [a] Gulfstream jet and have V+J painted in rainbow glory on the tail,” he writes in the book. “She had recently adopted her first child, Maddox, and the paparazzi were obsessed with this postmodern Madonna, the perfect picture of unapproachable stardom and impossibly chic maternal instinct.”
He makes it sound like Angelina was living in New York with her mom, but that’s not the case – Marcheline Bertrand had an apartment in the Raffles L’Ermitage Beverly Hills for years, and yes, Angelina stayed there often. Also: “Is it worth it? Worth knowing people who require weeks of effort to understand even a little? Yes.” Angelina is a bombshell enigma, wrapped in a riddle and covered in a black sack. I always find it interesting how many men have basically followed her around and tried to woo her over her lifetime. As for Val specifically, he had a crush on her. But he also said (a few years ago) that the only thing that happened between them was a kiss in an elevator.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
She’s just so beautiful and I love they way he described her. I’m sure she’s magnificent.
Honestly…the way Val described Ellen Barkin…had me grabbing tissues…
And getting his book!
I read a piece from it in the guardian about his time filming Top Gun. Great stuff. Very well written. I think this is one I’ll be downloading too.
The way he describes her is just beautiful…..
“Angelina is a bombshell enigma, wrapped in a riddle and covered in a black sack.“ Kaiser, you seriously have a way with words! I nearly spit out my coffee.
The black sack part made me laugh out loud. I needed that.
“When people ask me what Angelina is like, I always say she’s like other women and other superstars, but just more,” the actor, 60, writes. “More gorgeous. More wise. More tragic. More magic. More grounded. Is it worth it? Worth knowing people who require weeks of effort to understand even a little? Yes.”
–Very flattering description of Angie. I saw her up close once and I couldn’t take my eyes off her because she was ridiculously beautiful it was unreal. And she was so sweet to her fans.
A friend of my mother’s was her family’s private chef in Venice when she was filming the The Tourist with Johnny Depp. We couldn’t get any details out of her (damn!) but she did say Angelina rolled out of bed every morning, came downstairs without any makeup and was absurdly, insanely beautiful. Oh and also very nice.
Her beauty is dizzying and has only become more mythological because of her humble, humanitarian, generous spirit
I liked the way he described Angelina – she does exude this magnetic quality, of being larger than life and of course she is out-this-world beautiful. Even as a woman, I can see why men would be so fascinated by and drawn to her.
Does anyone remember that interview with Fincher (I think) where he said Brad was off chasing Angelina around the world (at the start of their relationship) and she drove him crazy (in love)? Or something of that sort.
So he had a love scene put into the movie so he had a “legit” reason to make out with her? If that’s not the definition of male privilege … eww.
It is gross. While he has been very complimentary of her, he basically treats her like a shiny object he wanted to possess. It’s interesting that a man can write a book detailing all his relationships and flings and he’s treated like some conquering hero. Whereas if a woman, say Angelina were to write of similar experiences, she would be labeled a slut and ascribed to all kinds of immoral and amoral behavior.
Every time. (sigh)
I’m just here to comment that Top Secret! is an amazing movie.
He’s so good in that, too—I remember being shocked! Val?? Val Kilmer???
I honestly don’t believe him.A few Years ago he also mentioned that Angie offered him a lift & that when he was there he was disappointed cause she brought a French guy there(Olivier Martinez).I think Val is just another guy,like Colin who wishes things went further than a friendship with Jolie.
Think these sections were very carefully written for quotes during book promotions so it could be read as either way. It’s clear if you read more carefully that it was just a one sided thing and they didn’t have a relationship. Name-dropping to help the sales, I guess. Even the “kiss” in the elevator might be a greeting or farewell kiss between friends! Poor Val!