Val Kilmer Director Calls Late Actor The 'Worst Human Being I've Ever Known' In Scathing Post

Director Adam Marcus has spoken out about his experience with the late Top Gun actor Val Kilmer, and he did not soften his words.

Marcus, 58, directed Kilmer in the 2008 action thriller Conspiracy, a film that drew mixed reviews after its release.

In the movie, Kilmer played William 'Spooky' MacPherson, a disabled Iraq War veteran who uncovers a plot against undocumented immigrants in Arizona after his friend and the friend's family disappear.

Kilmer, who many fans also knew from Batman Forever, died from pneumonia at the age of 65 on April 1, 2025. He had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014.

After his death, many actors, fans, and people in the film industry paid tribute to his work and legacy. Marcus, however, made it clear that his own memories of working with Kilmer were very different.

Instead of joining the praise, the director shared a harsh account of their time together on Conspiracy.

Val Kilmer worked with Adam Marcus on 2008's Conspiracy Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Why Marcus' comments stood out

The timing made the post even more striking. Public comments about a famous actor often become softer after death, especially when that actor is being remembered for major roles like Iceman in Top Gun or Doc Holliday in Tombstone.

Marcus went the other way. Reports said his posts appeared on Threads and were later no longer visible, which added more attention to what he had written.

People reported that Marcus also accused Kilmer of being late to set and bullying others while making Conspiracy People.

Entertainment Weekly reported that Marcus posted an image on Threads showing himself and Kilmer together on the set of Conspiracy.

The director made it clear that the photo did not bring back warm memories for him.

"#MicroIntellectMonday to that time when I directed that guy. The guy who played Iceman and Doc Holiday. You know the one," Marcus wrote. "Here's me and the Putz working it out on the set of Conspiracy. So yeah, that happened."

Marcus added: "And to any of you rolling your eyes because of the whole 'don't speak ill of the dead bulls,' f*** that. [If] this guy did one-tenth of what he did on my set today, he would have been cancelled in a blink."

"Worst human being I've ever known… and that is really saying something," Marcus concluded, before the posts reportedly disappeared from his profile.

His comments were harsh, but they were not the first claims about Kilmer being difficult on set. Joel Schumacher, who directed 1995's Batman Forever, called Kilmer 'childish and impossible' and a 'psychologically disturbed human being' one year after the movie came out.

John Frankenheimer also worked with Kilmer on 1996's The Island of Dr. Moreau and later said he would never work with the star again.

Kilmer addressed parts of his reputation in Val, the 2021 documentary about his life and career. In the film, he admitted to some poor behavior while looking back on his long run in Hollywood.

He said: "I have behaved poorly. I have behaved bravely. I have behaved bizarrely to some. I deny none of this and have no regrets because I have lost and found parts of myself that I never knew existed. And I am blessed."

Kilmer's alleged behavior on set has been criticized before Warner Bros. Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

Kilmer later stepped away from the film industry after treatment for throat cancer. A tracheostomy damaged his vocal cords, which made speaking much harder for him.

His final movie credit came in Top Gun: Maverick in 2022, where he returned as Iceman opposite Tom Cruise.

That last appearance gave many fans a final on-screen moment with one of his most famous characters, even as stories about his difficult years on set continued to follow his career.