Actor Spills On Prickly Encounter With Val Kilmer That Led To This Life-Changing Role

Matthew Modine shared a story about running into an "upset" Kilmer at a Los Angeles restaurant in the '80s and how it may have changed his career.

Actor Matthew Modine showed love to Val Kilmer as he reflected on a tense, chance run-in with the Hollywood icon that may have led to Modine starring in Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 classic “Full Metal Jacket.”

Modine, who was among those who paid tribute to Kilmer after his death on Tuesday, shared an excerpt from his 2005 memoir, “Full Metal Jacket Diary.” In the excerpt, Modine described seeing Kilmer “clearly cursing” at him while Modine was eating with David Alan Grier at The Source, a former vegetarian restaurant in Los Angeles.

Grier ― who worked with Kilmer on the 1984 comedy “Top Secret!” ― approached him and, after sharing a laugh, gestured for Modine to come over.

“Val stops smiling. His face twists up like he just ate a lemon,” Modine wrote.

He later continued, “Val lets me know why he’s upset. He’s fed up with me getting parts that he could be playing.”