Pushing Forward After Throat Cancer
- Val Kilmer’s return in Top Gun: Maverick is finally here, and no one seems more appreciative of the reboot than the Iceman himself, who feared he’d never be able to work again after throat cancer.
- Sonantic, which creates artificial voices for the entertainment industry, gathered decades of old voice clips and audio recordings of Kilmer in order to bring his signature voice back to life.
- There's no annual screening for throat cancer, so doctors usually discover the disease when a patient sees them with symptoms that may point to it. Some symptoms include: changes in your voice, a cough that won’t go away, difficulty swallowing, ear pain, and/or a lump or sore that doesn’t heal.
While fans around the world have been getting hyped up for Top Gun: Maverick since filming began in 2018, there is one person who seems to appreciate it coming to fruition more than most: Val Kilmer, 62, who played the legendary Iceman in the original 1986 flick.
Read MoreThe company said they were contacted by Kilmer's team to see if they could use their artificial intelligence software to recreate Kilmer's voice for upcoming creative work. In a statement, Kilmer said Sonantic "restored my voice in a way I've never imagined possible,” which truly must have been music to his ears.
View this post on Instagram
In his memoir, I'm Your Huckleberry, he shared his initial reaction to hearing that Tom Cruise would be working on the reboot.
"He was calling it Top Gun: Maverick. Well, Tom was Maverick, but Maverick's nemesis was Iceman. The two went together like salt and pepper," Kilmer wrote. "It didn't matter that the producers didn't contact me. As the Temptations sang in the heyday of Motown soul, 'ain't too proud to beg.'"
After reaching out to producers, Kilmer got his beloved part back.
"Forget the fact that thirty years had passed since I'd seen the ghost of Iceman's dad. I remembered it like it was yesterday," he wrote. "The producers went for it. Cruise went for it. Cruise couldn't have been cooler. And the next thing I knew I was back, as the Beatles said, where I 'once belonged.'
"Tom and I took up where we left off. The reunion felt great."
Cut to Cannes 2022, and Kilmer once again reportedly gets an overwhelming audience reaction. The actor’s documentary, the self-titled Val, screened at last year’s fest to rave reviews as well.
View this post on Instagram
“I’m overwhelmed to see the love and appreciation for Top Gun. I’m feeling very blessed, he wrote on is Instagram.”
We’re feeling the love, Val!
Understanding Throat Cancer
Throat cancer is a type of head and neck cancer where cancerous cells begin in the throat, voice box or tonsils. Some of the main risk factors for this disease include smoking, drinking alcohol, a diet lacking in fruits or vegetables, acid reflux disease and the human papillomavirus (HPV). So, one way to decrease the chances of developing the disease is to get the HPV vaccine.
The American Cancer Society recommends that boys and girls get the HPV vaccine between ages 9 and 12. The organization also stresses that teens and young adults through age 26 who are not already vaccinated should get the HPV vaccine as soon as possible. Dr. Jessica Geiger, a medical oncologist at Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center, explains the link between throat cancer and HPV in a previous interview with SurvivorNet.
Get the Facts: What Do We Know About HPV-Linked Throat Cancer?
"There are no screening guidelines to screen for throat cancer, unlike cervical cancer with pap smears. And there are no standard tests to determine if you harbor the (HPV) virus," she said. "However, there is no concern that you're going to spread this cancer to your partner or to anyone else, because at this point your partner has already been exposed to the virus and likely cleared it."
There's no annual screening for throat cancer, so doctors usually discover the disease when a patient sees them with symptoms that may point to it. Some symptoms include:
- A cough
- Changes in your voice
- Difficulty swallowing
- Ear pain
- A lump or sore that doesn't heal
- A sore throat
- Weight loss
It's important to note, however, that these symptoms are not exclusive to throat cancer. Still, you should always see a doctor if you have any changes to your health.
Contributing by SurvivorNet staff.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.