Actress Accuses Val Kilmer of Physically Assaulting Her During Audition for 'The Doors'
Actress Caitlin O’Heaney claims Val Kilmer hit her during an audition for his 1991 film The Doors.
O’Heaney, 64, detailed the alleged incident to Buzzfeed, saying that she was inspired to come forward by the Harvey Weinstein scandal. She also claims she is breaking a nondisclosure agreement by speaking out.
“Women have come together, saying, ‘We’re not going to be f**ked by you,’” she told the website. “I finally have the confidence to speak about this. It’s too long that I’ve sat on this story.”
O’Heaney alleged that she and Kilmer, 57, were arguing while reading a scene for the Oliver Stone movie, and that he struck her in the face. “When I got to the room and Val Kilmer picked me up and shaked me, throwing me down to the floor, Stone just stood there the whole time laughing.”
After the incident, she said, “I went down to my car and I cried for about 20 minutes.”
The film’s casting director, Risa Bramon Garcia, reportedly disagrees with O’Heaney’s account of the audition. Bramon Garcia told Buzzfeed that O’Heaney and all other actresses were warned that they would be reading a volatile scene that could result in physical contact.
“I remember there was a moment Val pinned her to the wall — all part of the scene,” she explained, adding that she immediately stopped the scene before it got “carried away.” Bramon Garcia also denies Kilmer hit O’Heaney in her face.
“It was way blown out of proportion,” she said. “I am not somebody who takes this stuff lightly. I can tell the difference between something that’s abusive and a moment that got carried away … but it was all in the context of the work. [O’Heaney had] a very extreme reaction to a situation that to me was not extreme at all.”
However, O’Heaney claims she was so traumatized that she filed a police report after the alleged assault. The report, quoted by Buzzfeed, reads in part, “Vict and susp (actor) were reading a script for a movie role, susp became angry and stuck vict on her face with his closed fist. Susp grabbed vict and pushed her to the floor. Susp jumped on vict + held her down.”
The actress ultimately reached a settlement with Kilmer, Stone and Carolco Pictures for $24,500, according to the website. But O’Heaney says she was left with only about $8,000 after taxes. She also signed a non-disclosure agreement, which she says she still regrets.
“I was so traumatized that, against my better judgment, I signed that document, which says I can never speak about this,” she explained. “If this was something that happened nowadays, I wouldn’t sign it.”
Reps for Kilmer and Stone did not immediately return a request for comment.