Sometimes we forget just how vulnerable some of our favorite celebrities can be. After all, we’re all simply human – and massive Hollywood stars are no different. This goes for actor Val Kilmer, who had to undergo several tracheotomies due to throat cancer. He recently opened up about his condition and explained that it’s actually something he’s quite shy about discussing.
The 60 year old actor explained it all in great detail while speaking with Good Morning America.
“I feel a lot better than I sound, but I feel wonderful,” Kilmer stated. “I was diagnosed with throat cancer, which healed very quickly. This is a tracheotomy to help me breathe because the glands in my throat swelled up as well.”
One of the first questions he was given regarded what he missed most about his old voice. Kilmer’s response was pretty reasonable –
“That I had one! That I didn’t laugh like a pirate,” he said.
His cancer was first diagnosed in 2015, and after two tracheotomies, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments – he’s finally cancer free.
“I have been healed of cancer for over four years now, and there has never been any reoccurrence. I am so grateful,” he wrote in his new memoir titled I’m Your Huckleberry.
What’s more, the actor even gave some positive glimpses at his upcoming appearance in the new Top Gun sequel, Top Gun: Maverick. Here’s what he said about what it was like reuniting with Tom Cruise, without giving away too much about his role reprisal.
“It was absolutely moving. I really was surprised. Tom was wearing his jacket, the original jacked from the first movie. It was just very moving. I don’t want to give away anything, but in between takes, Tom and I just laughed like we were in high school,” Kilmer said.
It’s nice to see that Val Kilmer has been coming along healthily and positively from his battle with throat cancer. Hopefully we’ll continue to see him working in film for many years to come.