The Untold Story of Doc Holliday in Tombstone: From Willem Dafoe to Val Kilmer

The Casting Dilemma

It's impossible to imagine anybody else besides Val Kilmer playing the role of Doc Holliday in the western biopic Tombstone, but he wasn’t the first actor the producers wanted for the part. Tombstone depicts real-life historical events from the frontier, like the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. It was one of the most commercially successful western movies to arrive after the genre’s heyday ended.

Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn in Phase 4's Spider-Man No Way Home

Tombstone was well-received by critics, who praised the direction, the screenplay, and the performances of the entire cast – but particular acclaim went to Kilmer for his charismatic, hard-edged portrayal of Doc. Tombstone’s star-studded ensemble cast includes iconic actors like Sam Elliott as Virgil Earp, Bill Paxton as Morgan Earp, Michael Biehn as Johnny Ringo, and Charlton Heston as Henry Hooker, and Robert Mitchum provides the voiceover narration. It’s hard to believe the producers didn’t get every actor they wanted in this cast; even the smallest roles are played by recognizable icons.

Val Kilmer drenched in sweat in Tombstone

The Almost Casting of Willem Dafoe

Before Kilmer was cast in Tombstone, the producers’ first choice for the role of Doc Holliday was Willem Dafoe. The studio vetoed Dafoe’s casting because they were wary of the controversy surrounding Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ. The movie told an alternate, non-Biblically accurate account of Jesus Christ’s life, with Dafoe playing Jesus. Not only was the movie a commercial failure; it caused an uproar amongst religious groups. Even though it had been five years since Last Temptation was released, the studio still wanted nothing to do with Dafoe.

Usually, starring in a Scorsese movie is a good way for an actor to boost their profile and open themselves up to a wider range of roles. Unfortunately for Dafoe, if that movie fictionalizes Jesus’ life and courts controversy from Christian groups, then it will actually cost the actor roles – even five years later. Dafoe’s turn in The Last Temptation of Christ has since been reappraised as one of his finest performances, and the film itself has been recognized as one of Scorsese’s most underrated works.

The Impact of Casting Decisions

The fact that Dafoe’s casting fell through worked out for Kilmer, because Doc became one of the most iconic roles of his career. Although Kurt Russell’s Wyatt Earp is technically the lead of the movie, most critics agreed that Kilmer’s Doc stole the show. His lack of a Best Supporting Actor nod at the Oscars was widely considered to be an egregious snub. The role of Doc was so important to Kilmer’s career that he ended up naming his autobiography – I’m Your Huckleberry: A Memoir, published in 2020 – after one of Doc’s most iconic quotes from Tombstone.

Source: MovieWeb