The 8-Second Timing That Cost Tom Cruise His Iconic SNL Moment With Val Kilmer

Tom Cruise nearly made Saturday Night Live (SNL) history during a sketch featuring his Top Gun co-star Val Kilmer, but as it turns out, the surprise cameo that would have taken the sketch from memorable to iconic never happened — not for lack of trying.

Michael Schur, co-writer of the sketch, recently shared the fascinating behind-the-scenes story during an episode of The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast. The tale recounts the December 9, 2000, episode of SNL, where Kilmer hosted. Schur, who co-wrote the sketch alongside Robert Carlock, described Kilmer as “very intense but very nice” and explained the premise of the sketch, which saw Kilmer’s Top Gun character, Iceman, a retired Navy pilot, now working as a commercial flight attendant. The sketch poked fun at Kilmer’s action-hero persona, showing him battling Chris Parnell’s character for control of the intercom on a commercial flight. Between shouting incoherent orders and rattling off iconic movie lines, the sketch had all the ingredients for a comedic hit.

As fate would have it, Cruise was in the building that night. Schur remembers him being “eight feet away, watching the sketch and enjoying it.” That’s when longtime SNL producer Marci Klein approached Schur with the possibility of having Cruise make a cameo. “Tom Cruise is here, should we get him to walk on?” she asked. Naturally, Schur’s response was an immediate “Yes, of course, we should.” The plan was simple: Cruise would walk into the sketch’s final moments and drag Kilmer’s character, Iceman, off the plane with a casual, “Hey Iceman, let’s get you out of here, bud.”

Klein conveyed the idea to Cruise, who nodded in agreement, seemingly on board with the impromptu cameo. Schur was filled with anticipation as he saw Cruise heading toward the stage. “This is going to be incredible,” he recalled thinking. However, just as Cruise was about to step onto the stage, the sketch ended. The audience’s applause began, and Kilmer was quickly whisked off the set to change for the next segment. Schur’s recounting of the missed opportunity reveals the frustration of the near-cameo: “We missed it by like eight seconds.”

While the Cruise cameo never materialized, Kilmer’s SNL stint is still fondly remembered. The actor’s willingness to parody not only his Top Gun persona but also his portrayal of Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991) and even take jabs at political figures like Jeb Bush proved that Kilmer was far more than just an intense, serious actor. He brought a surprising comedic flair to the SNL stage, cementing his place in the show’s history.

Kilmer’s unexpected comedic chops were part of what made the episode memorable, but it’s impossible not to imagine how much more iconic it would have been had Cruise walked on stage for that legendary moment. Despite missing the perfect timing, the story of the cameo that never happened is a testament to the spontaneous and unpredictable nature of live television.

The story is even more poignant given Kilmer’s passing on April 2, 2023, at the age of 65. His death marked the end of an era for Hollywood, but during a recent promotional event for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Cruise took a moment to honor his late co-star. After a moment of silence, he paid tribute to Kilmer with heartfelt words: “Thank you, Val. I wish you well on your next journey.”

Though the Top Gun reunion on SNL was not meant to be, the friendship and deep respect between Cruise and Kilmer live on, forever etched in the minds of their fans.