If these two stars had their way, they would have been in the greatest race around the world.Following the recent passingofVal Kilmer, his friend and former roommate,Will Forte, paid tribute to his dear friend.In an essay penned for Vulture, Forte shared one of his deepest regrets in his career that involved the late actor,The Amazing Race. Forte wrote, “I used to watchThe Amazing Race,and he came back home at some point when I was watching it and was like, ‘What are you watching that garbage for? Come on, that stuff’s going to rot your mind.’ I said, ‘It’s pretty good. You should sit down and watch it. Give it a try before you s—t on it.‘So he sat down, and he started watching it, and he got really into it.“Kilmer’s newfound passion for the long-running competition series prompted a brilliant idea.
Kilmer convinced Forte to consider teaming up forThe Amazing Race, but not everyone was on board. When the pair pitched the idea to their agents, the idea was turned down. “At a certain point, he said, ‘Will, you and I have to go doThe Amazing Race. We have to. Let’s doThe Amazing Race.’ I’m like, ‘I am so fully in,'” Forte shared.
“We got really excited about it, and then we called our respective agents and managers, and they were like, ‘There’s no way you guys are doing that.‘That is, maybe to this day, the biggest regret of my whole career — that I never didThe Amazing Racewith Val. I think we would’ve gotten out very quickly, but it just would’ve been the experience of a lifetime.”
IfPhil Keoghancould be convinced to do a celebrity version of the game, perhaps Will Forte could earn redemption for his roommate, co-star, and friend. Val Kilmer co-starred in the film adaptation ofMacGruberwith Will Forte. The film was inspired by a character created onSaturday Night Live.
Will Forte and Val Kilmer Used To Be Roommates
Kilmer lived with Forte for a few months when he was in the middle of a move. In his essay, Forte revealed, “He was in a situation where he was going to sell his place in New Mexico. He had been staying in Malibu, but he was having a dispute with his landlord, so he was looking for a new place and said, ‘Hey, can I stay at your place for a couple days while I’m looking for a new place?’ I don’t remember if he said ‘a couple days,’ but I got the impression that it was going to be a couple days. 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.”
Forte was a huge fan of Val Kilmer, which helped their friendship blossom over time. Kilmer passed away on April 1 as a result of pneumonia.The news was shared with the New York Timesby his daughter,Mercedes Kilmer. Kilmer was previously diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, which his daughter revealed he had recovered from.
The Amazing Raceairs Wednesdays at 9:30 pm ET on CBS. All episodes are available to stream on Paramount+.
