Director Adam Marcus does not have fond memories of working with Val Kilmer, calling the late actor the “worst human being I’ve ever known” in a scathing post.
“#MicroIntellectMonday to that time when I directed that guy. The guy who played Iceman and Doc Holiday. You know the one,” Marcus shared via social media on Monday, June 1. “Here’s me and the Putz working it out on the set of Conspiracy. So yeah, that happened.”
He continued, “And to any of you rolling your eyes because of the whole ‘don’t speak ill of the dead bulls***’, f*** that.”
Marcus alleged that Kilmer was “physically violent” and “sexually harassed” female members of the cast. The director also called Kilmer “verbally abusive,” claiming the late actor was several hours “late to set on almost every day” while filming the 2008 movie.
“He was so alcohol poisoned on the first day of production I had to have an ambulance come to set to give him an IV before we could get one shot done,” Marcus alleged. “He was paid 1.5 million and acted completely unprofessional. And this is truly the tip of the iceberg of bad behavior.”
Marcus concluded, “If this guy did one-tenth of what he did on my set today, he would have been cancelled in a blink.”
Marcus directed Kilmer in the 2008 thriller Conspiracy, which also starred Jennifer Esposito. Kilmer played the role of a disabled Iraq War veteran named William “Spooky” MacPherson, who uncovers a corrupt conspiracy in an Arizona town while traveling to visit a friend.
Kilmer died from pneumonia at age 65 in April 2025.
His death certificate, released by the Los Angeles County Department of Health, listed the underlying causes as acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, chronic respiratory failure and squamous cell carcinoma of the base of the tongue. Contributing factors included malnutrition and a tracheocutaneous fistula. (Kilmer was previously diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014.)
“Thank you for honoring our extraordinary father’s memory,” the actor’s family said in a statement at the time. “We are so proud of him and honored to see his legacy celebrated. At this time, we would like to grieve privately.”
Kilmer was remembered fondly by his fellow actors. Top Gun costar Tom Cruise paid tribute to Kilmer during an appearance at CinemaCon in Las Vegas last year.
“I’d like to honor a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer, for a moment. I can’t tell you how much I admired his work,” Cruise said. “If we just all take a moment to remember the wonderful time we had with him — let’s just take a moment. I wish you well on your next journey.”
