Kilmer, a movie hero in the ’80s and ’90s, suffered a two-year battle with throat cancer. The disease left him with a raspy voice. In video footage shot by The Hollywood Reporter, Kilmer appears much thinner than he did just a few years ago.
He said the battle changed his priorities.
“I was too serious,” said the Academy Award nominee admitted. “I’d get upset when things like Oscars and recognition failed to come my way.”
Kilmer’s two children, Jack, 22, and Mercedes, 26, are both pursuing careers in acting. Mercedes and her dad were in the same hospital at the same time after she was hit by a car shortly after Kilmer’s diagnosis.
“I was just, you know, miserable, distraught, sitting next to these two,” Jack said.
Kilmer also said he leaned heavily on his faith to get through the tough time.
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