Val Kilmer, who died today at 65 from pneumonia, starred in a string of blockbuster movies alongside some of the biggest names in Hollywood. From starting in theatre alongside Kevin Bacon and Sean Penn and featuring in an ‘Afternoon Special’ with Michelle Pfeiffer, to cementing his status as a screen legend in roles such as Willow, Top Gun, and The Doors, there wasn’t a role that he couldn’t make his own.

However, it was his most famous character, that of Bruce Wayne in Joel Schumacher’s 1995 classic, Batman Forever, that opened audiences' eyes to his commercial appeal. Taking over the role from Michael Keaton, he starred alongside Nicole Kidman as Dr. Chase Meridian, Tommy Lee-Miller as Harvey 'Two-Face' Dent, and Jim Carrey as the Riddler. The film was a huge box office triumph, becoming the second-highest-grossing movie of 1995 in the United States and grossing £260.2 million world-wide.

Despite its success, Val turned down the possibility of doing a sequel, with the role handed over to George Clooney. In the documentary, 'Val', released in 2021, he revealed some insight into his disappointing experience playing the Caped Crusader and why he gave up the chance to return. Val explained that there was one very prominent reason why he disliked the role, and it wasn't to do with the director, with whom he had numerous feuds, but rather that the Batsuit he had to wear had a huge impact on his performance.

Commenting on the movie, the actor said: “I took the part without even reading the script... But whatever boyish excitement I had going in was crushed by the reality of the Batsuit.” He went on to describe how the suit was so stiff and claustrophobic that it greatly restricted his movement. He added: "When you're in it, you can barely move and people have to help you stand up and sit down."

"You also can't hear anything, and after a while, people stop talking to you; it's very isolating. It was a struggle for me to get a performance past the suit, and it was frustrating until I realised that my role in the film was just to show up and stand where I was told to." He added that once it was on and it made “meaningful acting impossible”. Following the success of the film, Val was reportedly offered a huge deal for the sequel but turned it down because he said the suit made the work joyless.