Val Kilmer’s New Mexico Neighbors Want An Apology

Val Kilmer recently applied for a business permit for wanting to turn his 6,000-acre New Mexico ranch into a stylish bed-and-breakfast for paying customers. But the neighbors of the 50-year-old actor are protesting, not because of the troubles it may cause, but because of the disparaging comments Kilmer had made a few years back.

In an interview in 2003, Kilmer allegedly told Rolling Stone that his northern New Mexico neighborhood was “the homicide capital of the Southwest” and that “80 percent of the people in my county are drunk.” After two years, he told Esquire magazine that his training as an actor helped him understand how to play a Vietnam veteran, better than someone who had actually fought in the war.

“A guy who’s lived through the horror of Vietnam has not spent his life preparing his mind for it. He’s some punk. Most guys were borderline criminal or poor, and that’s why they got sent to Vietnam. It was all the poor, wretched kids who got beat up by their dads, guys who didn’t get on the football team, couldn’t finagle a scholarship. They didn’t have the emotional equipment to handle that experience. But this is what an actor trains to do.” - Val Kilmer, Esquire (2005)

The “MacGruber” and “Batman” star argued he was misquoted both times. His neighbors don’t seem to buy this, saying that his quotes were “incendiary” and created a “clear and present danger threatening public safety.” They also said they’re willing drop their objections if he apologize. “That’s all he has to do, come and apologize,” a neighbor tells The Wall Street Journal. “We’re not intimidated by him.”

Kilmer, who has been contemplating on running in the state’s gubernatorial race, said that he has tried to be a good neighbor by helping local schools and supporting wildlife preservation. “It’s very upsetting for my friends,” the actor said. “I’m not worried at all about the reaction because I just see it as an opportunity to bring people together.”