Actor Kilmer's Nasty Take on 'Nam Vets

Val Kilmer -- the actor who has portrayed Jim Morrison in the movie "The Doors," Batman in "Batman Forever," Moses in "The Prince of Egypt," and a naval aviator in "Top Gun" -- now has his eyes on a new real life role, governor of New Mexico.

Kilmer, who has a 6,000 acre ranch in the Pecos River valley about 40 miles from where I live, told the Associated Press this month that he is mulling a run for governor in 2010 and predicted with a total lack of modesty, "If I run, I'm going to be the next governor."

But Kilmer may have a hard time winning over the state's military veterans based on a 2005 interview with Esquire magazine, which initially resurfaced on Mitary-Money-Matters.com. In the article, written by Chuck Klosterman, Kilmer indicated that actors understand the horrors of war more than those who experienced it first hand.

Kilmer told Klosterman:

"I understand it more. It's an actor's job. A guy who's lived through the horror of Vietnam has not spent his life preparing his mind for it. He's some punk. Most guys were borderline criminal or poor, and that's why they got sent to Vietnam. It was all the poor, wretched kids who got beat up by their dads, guys who didn't get on the football team, couldn't finagle a scholarship. They didn't have the emotional equipment to handle that experience. But this is what an actor trains to do. I can more effectively represent that kid in Vietnam than a guy who was there."

Kilmer replied to Military-Money-Matters.com and denied he made the comments about Vietnam veterans. "I have read the interview and I certainly did not say those things," he said. "The writer was elaborating and not able to accept the intent of empathy, and sympathy that an actor has for all human beings and the human condition.

"My father served proudly in WWII, and I have never uttered a single word of disrespect to any armed servicemen anywhere ever.

"I sincerely apologize for causing any discomfort to any vets and would not have pursued a line of thought that could have been turned into such an ugly version of a simple rule in acting.

"You are justifiably offended, as I was when I read the supposed quotes."

But Esquire's editor in chief, David Granger, said the quotes attributed to Kilmer are "absolutely accurate." In a statement, Granger said, "The interview was recorded and every quote used in the story was checked by our research department to ensure that it was printed precisely as spoken."

Granger added, "It should be noted Mr. Kilmer did not dispute the validity of the quotations when the article was first published four years ago, nor did he dispute them when the article was reprinted in Mr. Klosterman's fourth book, nor did he dispute them when the story appeared in Ira Glass's anthology 'The New Kings of Nonfiction.' "

Kilmer, by the way, lives in what might be called the foot-in-mouth neighborhood of northeast New Mexico. One of his Pecos Valley neighbors is radio host Don Imus, who in 2007 made comments (not worth repeating here) about the Rutgers women's basketball team.