Will Forte was once roommates with Val Kilmer, who he calls ‘the most interesting person in the world’
By Dan Heching, CNN
3 minute read
Updated 3:58 PM EDT, Sat April 5, 2025
Val Kilmer and Will Forte in “Macgruber,” 2010. Michaels-Goldwyn/Kobal/ShutterstockCNN —
Will Forte is remembering when his good friend and “MacGruber” costar Val Kilmer – who he called “the most interesting person in the world” – ended up living with him for nearly three months.
In an essay published by Vulture on Friday, Forte remembered Kilmer, who died from pneumonia this week at the age of 65, as “incredibly funny and incredibly smart. He could be super-silly and then turn around and be a little frickin’ devil – but a sweet little devil. Life is more vivid when you’re hanging out with Val.”
Forte explained that the pair had become “pretty tight” after shooting “MacGruber,” which was based on a recurring “Saturday Night Live” spoof of “MacGyver” featuring Forte and co-starring Kilmer as zany villain Dieter Von Cunth. Due to some real estate issues, Forte said Kilmer was looking for a new place to live, and approached him about staying at his place “for a couple days.”
“I don’t remember if he said ‘a couple days,’ but I got the impression that it was going to be a couple days,” Forte wrote. “So he showed up on a Monday, and later that day, his assistant came over with two huge duffel bags filled with books, and I’m like, Oh, this seems like it’s maybe going to be more than a couple days. It ended up being two and a half months.”
Related galleryVal Kilmer’s life in pictures
Forte went on to give snapshots of what it was like living with the “Doors” star, from coming home to a darkened house only to find Kilmer reading with a miner’s headlamp on, to wearing boxers on his head, or spontaneously going jogging with him in a linen suit.
“One of the great joys of my life is, as I turned around to look back at him, I saw him jogging back in my direction in this linen suit,” Forte wrote. “That was him – just full of surprises. Just the most unique person I’ve ever met.”
They also connected on various television shows, including “The Amazing Race.” At one point, Kilmer came home to find Forte watching it and dismissed the reality competition show as useless fodder that’s “going to rot your mind.” Forte succeeded in convincing Kilmer to try watching it, and soon he was hooked.
“Then, at a certain point, he said, ‘Will, you and I have to go do “The Amazing Race.” We have to. Let’s do “The Amazing Race.”’ I’m like, ‘I am so fully in.’”
He continued to write that they even called their respective agents about getting on the show, but they put the kibosh on it.
“That is, maybe to this day, the biggest regret of my whole career – that I never did ‘The Amazing Race’ with Val. I think we would’ve gotten out very quickly, but it just would’ve been the experience of a lifetime.”
