I'm Your Huckleberry: A Memoir

by Val Kilmer Narrated by Will Forte, George Newbern, Mare Winningham

Overview

In this New York Times bestseller, legendary actor and star of the acclaimed documentary Val shares the stories behind his most beloved roles, reminisces about his star-studded career and love life, and reveals the truth behind his recent health struggles in a remarkably candid autobiography.

Val Kilmer has played many iconic roles over his nearly four-decade film career. A table-dancing Cold War agent in Top Secret! A troublemaking science prodigy in Real Genius. A brash fighter pilot in Top Gun. A swashbuckling knight in Willow. A lovelorn bank robber in Heat. A charming master of disguise in The Saint. A wise-cracking detective in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Of course, Batman, Jim Morrison and the sharp-shooting Doc Holliday.

But who is the real Val Kilmer? With I'm Your Huckleberry-published prior to the highly anticipated sequel Top Gun: Maverick, in which Kilmer returns to the big screen as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky-the enigmatic actor at last steps out of character and reveals his true self.

In this uniquely assembled memoir-featuring vivid prose, snippets of poetry and rarely-seen photos-Kilmer reflects on his acclaimed career, including becoming the youngest actor ever admitted to the Juilliard School's famed drama department, determinedly campaigning to win the lead part in The Doors, and realizing a years-long dream of performing a one-man show as his hero Mark Twain. He shares candid stories of working with screen legends Marlon Brando, Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr. and Robert De Niro, and recounts high-profile romances with Cher, Cindy Crawford, Daryl Hannah, and former wife Joanne Whalley. He chronicles his spiritual journey and lifelong belief in Christian Science, and describes travels to far-flung locales such as a scarcely inhabited island in the Indian Ocean where he suffered from delirium and was cared for by the resident tribe. And he reveals details of his recent throat cancer diagnosis and recovery-about which he has disclosed little until now.

While containing plenty of tantalizing celebrity anecdotes, I'm Your Huckleberry-taken from the famous line Kilmer delivers as Holliday in Tombstone-is ultimately a singularly written and deeply moving reflection on mortality and the mysteries of life.

Editorial Reviews

JUNE 2020 - AudioFile

Actor Val Kilmer titled his memoir with the famous line from his portrayal of sharpshooter Doc Holliday. A trio of narrators takes to the mic here, rotating chapters by turns. Will Forte’s performance is the strongest in capturing the spirituality that exudes from the entire audiobook. Mare Winningham’s flat, sleepy affect loses the listener’s concentration. George Newbern offers a genial style. A single narrator would have strengthened Kilmer’s candid effort to address his life and loves, along with the recent health challenges that have impaired his voice. Original poems by Kilmer throughout enhance the audiobook. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2020-03-11
The longtime Hollywood actor looks back.

“What does it mean to be a ham?” asks the author, rhetorically. “Was I a ham? I was naturally and inordinately theatrical. I liked to carry on. I liked attention. I liked extravagant speech. I liked to emote. I liked to talk.” All of these qualities are abundantly evident in Kilmer’s memoir, which is as much a spiritual journey as it is a chronicle of his life and career. The author recounts the depth of his Christian Science faith, his formative years in a family of privilege in Los Angeles, his teenage romance with fellow actor Mare Winningham (“my first real girlfriend”), his training and rebellion at Juilliard, and his decision to leave Broadway for Hollywood. There, he writes, “I was not yet a burgeoning talent but ‘Cher’s lover,’ ” when she was in her mid-30s and he in his early-20s. After scoring big with Tom Cruise in Top Gun, Kilmer turned down Blue Velvet and Dirty Dancing: “Neither part spoke to me.” He played Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s The Doors, which he considers “one of the proudest moments of my career.” Marlon Brando and Sam Shepard went from being idols that Kilmer worshipped to becoming friends. He was slated to star as Batman in three films but jumped ship after Batman Forever, which he considers “so bad, it’s almost good.” He married and divorced British actor Joanne Whalley and wooed Daryl Hannah (“kind of the female me, only better”), and he wrote and starred in a one-man show as Mark Twain. When he was hospitalized for surgery due to his throat cancer, he prayed, he read Twain and Christian Science’s Mary Baker Eddy, and he “didn’t wrestle with my angels. I sang and danced with them.” Kilmer was never a shrinking violet, and he still refuses to wilt.

An above-average celebrity memoir from an intriguing spirit. (photos)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177980744
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	04/21/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

1. The Pinball Machine
I’m saying what we’re praying and how it’s neighboring delight

To spend an eternity in this hour holding hands throughout the night

Never needing to check for relevance

(Our proof is what we pay for)

We dance across the cosmos

Reflecting purity and purpose from Pulpit and Press

I salute you brothers and sisters

Whose progress

Proves

The Infinite

—Hollywood, California, 2019

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