Stephen Merchant has shared his memories of working with the late Val Kilmer for a sketch on Life’s Too Short – watch below.
Earlier today, it was confirmed that the Top Gun and Batman Forever star had died from pneumonia at the age of 65. He passed away on Tuesday (April 1), having been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, although he did later make a full recovery.
The Hollywood star is also remembered for his distinctive portrayals of Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s The Doors and Shane Black’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
One other memorable skit that Kilmer was involved in came in Merchant and Ricky Gervais’ sitcom Life’s Too Short, which revolved around the exploits of Warwick Davis’ character’s attempts to navigate his way through showbusiness.
Despite a combative reputation, Val Kilmer was great fun to work with on Life’s Too Short, always willing to be playful and self-deprecating. I got to know him socially too, and he was as engaging as he was eccentric. A true one-off. RIP Val pic.twitter.com/BblhDZuMT7
— Stephen Merchant (@StephenMerchant) April 2, 2025
In the 2013 special of the show, Gervais and Merchant’s celebrity agent character are having dinner with Davis’ character when Kilmer shows up dressed head to toe in a Batman costume. After failing to guess his identity, Kilmer takes off his mask to reveal himself, much to the guests’ ambivalence.
Davis says that he and Kilmer are trying to raise money for Willow 2, a follow-up to their 1988 fantasy film, which does not impress Gervais and Merchant. Undeterred, Kilmer tries other tables in the restaurant. Watch the sketch above.
“Despite a combative reputation, Val Kilmer was great fun to work with on Life’s Too Short, always willing to be playful and self-deprecating,” Merchant wrote on X on Wednesday (April 2). “I got to know him socially too, and he was as engaging as he was eccentric. A true one-off. RIP Val”
In the hours since the announcement, tributes have come in from Kilmer’s Hollywood contemporaries and friends. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, filmmaker Michael Mann said: “While working with Val on Heat I always marvelled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val’s possessing and expressing character. After so many years of Val battling disease and maintaining his spirit, this is tremendously sad news.”
Kilmer fans have been re-sharing stories of Kilmer’s interactions with Bob Dylan and the time that he “tickled” Lou Reed.
English (US) · 