Unbelievably, there was a time in Hollywood when studios only desired spec scripts. Hollywood used to be the land of original intellectual themes before it turned into the land of superheroes, reboots, and remakes. Shane Black’s directorial debut, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, starring Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr., was one such example of a cult classic.
The film has maintained the noir tradition. Black, Kilmer, and Downey Jr. were the perfect trio to assemble for this movie, which received positive reviews from critics.
Kilmer was the complete package—a movie star with skill in method acting. There was also Downey Jr., the son of renowned independent filmmaker, Robert Downey Sr. The Charlie Bartlett star
had spent much of the late 1980s on the verge of stardom.
He was and will always be Iron Man, which is true for many generations of fans of comic book movies. But why did the Sherlock Holmes star feel compelled to take part in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, which also starred Michelle Monaghan and Corbin Bernsena?
What Made Robert Downey Jr. Join Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang?
Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer were two actors who, in the early 2000s, needed a lifeline to save their faltering careers. The former was simply desperate to find work after being released from prison, while the latter was looking to reclaim his glory days from the 1990s with blockbusters like The Saint.
And then they got involved in Shane Black’s film, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which required both actors to put their hearts and souls into it. And the result was what could be considered one of the best performances of their careers.
But since Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, the career of the two actors has been very different. While Kilmer, despite having played Batman at one point in his career, faded from the spotlight, Downey Jr. was soon cast as Iron Man and rose to international fame.
The Gothika actor felt he “had to be” in the 2005 American neo-noir black comedy crime film for one outlandish reason. He actually first learned about Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang from his film producer wife, Susan Downey, as the actor once recalled to City Life:
“She keeps reading and laughing and she tells me, ‘The [hero] just had his severed finger that he had on ice stolen by a dog.’What was his finger doing in an ice bowl? His girlfriend cut it off. Why didn’t he go to hospital? He did but it got pulled off again by these two bad guys called Mr Frying Pan and Mr Fire. When I heard that I just had to be in this movie.'”
Having Robert Playing a Dumb Guy Was Really Fun
During the same interview for CityLife Magazine, Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer discussed how much humor they were able to generate while portraying their characters in the 2005 film.
They cherished the witty quirks of Shane Black’s script, but according to Downey, they occasionally found themselves improvising while the cameras were rolling. As a result of his ability to play stupid, he and Kilmer had a great time riffing.
Additionally, Downey Jr. had only positive things to say about his co-star:
“He’s Val g*ddamn Kilmer […] He’s amazing. The stuff he came up with on the spot was great. Like when he’s supposed to tell me to put my cigarette out and I ask him where and he just deadpans, ‘Throw it in that clump of dry bushes, you moron.'”
On the other hand, the 63-year-old veteran actor also laughed and said:
“Having Robert playing a dumb guy was really fun, because he’s actually very smart but because he’s acting dumb he can’t say anything back to me.”
Well, Kilmer last appeared in Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick, whereas the Dolittle star’s upcoming film, Oppenheimer will be released on July 21, 2023.
Source- CityLife Magazine
