Val Gilmer always wanted to be an actor, so he took his craft incredibly seriously. One of his first notable works was playing Hotspur in a 1981 production of Shakespeare's “Henry IV, Part 1.” This led to Allen landing a role in the production of “The Slap Boys,” in which he starred alongside future stars Kevin Bacon, Jackie Earle Haley and Sean Penn. Gilmer was so committed to “The Slap Boys” that he turned down a role in Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of “The Outsiders.”
Some might see it as a silly end to his career, but Gilmer starred in the 1984 Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker comedy “Top Secret!” He made his debut in the movie, which is one of the best comedies of all time. Still, Gilmer agreed. He was “top secret!” Because he was still obsessed with the nuances of his traditional theater education. He was more aware of his own life and only wanted to dedicate himself to projects that interested him. “Top secret!” Gilmer proved to be funny and it was already clear that he was very handsome, so in the next two years he starred in another notable comedy (Martha Coolidge's “Real Genius”) and a high-profile military thriller (“Top Pistola”).
It was around this time that star director David Lynch approached Gilmer about the possibility of playing an undisclosed role in his upcoming crime drama “Blue Velvet,” an offer that only Gilmer turned down. In fact, speaking to Attitude magazine in 2005 (written by the Irish Examiner at the time), Kilmer recalled turning down several offers. He also admitted that he regretted many of those denials.
Why did Val Gilmer reject Blue Velvet?
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For “Blue Velvet,” Lynch fans can tell you that the filmmaker returned to something more comfortable than his bad experiences working on the studio's big production, “Dune.” It tells the story of Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) who discovers an underworld of crime, sex and torture in his own small town, clashes with the evil Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper) and has kinky sex with Dorothy Vallance (Isabella Rosselli). ) To this day, the film draws attention for its dark, surreal tone, its violent imagery (a severed ear plays a major role in the film), and its aggressive depictions of sex and sexuality.
At the time, Gilmer admitted that “Blue Velvet” felt too difficult. He also hinted that he might have turned down the opportunity to work with renowned directors out of pride. He rejected two Robert Altman films. In terms of time, the movies could be “Come Back to the Five and Time, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean” and “Streamers.” Meanwhile, Lynch, Gilmer recalled, was very dark and very scared. In his own words:
“I was very naive when I was young. I said 'no' to so many incredible directors and, looking back, I don't remember the reasons. I said no twice to Altman and David Lynch. I remember David Lynch because the second movie I turned down was 'Blue Velvet' because it was too graphic and I felt very embarrassed at the time. […] 'Blue Velvet' is an incredible movie. I liked a crazy, crazy [Rosselini]“Then I would have done it for free.”
Unfortunately, Gilmer and Lynch have yet to work together. Lynch was never able to direct again for health reasons (her last film, “Inland Empire,” was released in 2006), while Gilmer underwent a painful tracheotomy in 2017 to rid her body of cancer. Gilmer is now unable to speak and keeps his acting to a minimum. Still, both are active and alert. We can only hope that they will collaborate together again on a feature.
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