It isn’t just that everything is going to be all right.
—Val Kilmer, “I’m Your Huckleberry”
Everything is all right. Right now.
My name is Ginger. I’m a middle-aged woman on the west coast and the late actor Val Kilmer (who I did not know or have any personal connection to) has inspired me to love more, practice gratitude, and work every day to be a better person; or, more to the point, the person I want to be.
I’m the first to admit this whole thing is weird. While I’ve always loved movies, I’ve never been one to obsess over celebrities. In fact, I’m usually the person who rolls their eyes at gossip and news of who is dating whom. I, frankly, just can’t be bothered to care. I have others things to do.
But, then, on April 1, 2025, Val Kilmer died. Sure, I had a crush on him as a teen in the late 80s and watched Real Genius every time it was on whichever paid movie channel it premiered (about every six hours for at least a few months, by my estimate), but I hadn’t thought of the dude at all in decades. Inexplicably though, I was devastated by his passing.
I mean, I guess not ‘inexplicably.’ My friend had died the fall before. I hit a milestone birthday. I felt stuck in a life where I was doing fine, but took few chances and felt frustrated that I was so…frustrated all the time. All this and the world was, increasingly, becoming a dumpster fire. The death of the guy from Top Gun (no, the other one) felt like a bridge too far. The perfect storm, perhaps.
And then there was what I ended up learning about Val Kilmer, the man and actor, himself. I really don’t think if, say, Paul Rudd had died (and here’s hoping Mr. Rudd lives for several more decades vexing us all with his youthful good looks) I would have reacted in the same way. I might have watched some of his movies and a few interviews, but I have a feeling it just would not have hit the same.
So, here I am: Inspired by a strange and funny man who believed fully in the power of art and, along the way, became something of an accidental movie star. A man I never met, but whom has made me want to live bigger and be as authentic as best I can, while taking myself less seriously. And I’ll document it here while talking about Mr. Kilmer, his movies, and the parts of himself he let the world see.
The goal is to update this blog at least once a week for at least a year beginning August 2025—the anniversary of my friend’s passing. Updates will include lessons learned, new challenges I’m giving myself, personal musings, and, of course, discourse on Val Kilmer and his films.
Read more about what inspired me to go on this journey and why Val Kilmer: The Beginning
The Unbearable Lightness of Val Kilmer 