Val Kilmer's Daughter Mercedes Opens Up About New AI Movie After His Death
Val Kilmer may be gone, but his legacy lives on. The late actor is being honored in the upcoming film As Deep as the Grave, where filmmakers used an AI-generated version of him after he was unable to complete his scenes before his passing.
The decision has fueled ongoing debate in Hollywood around the use of AI in film and the ethics of posthumous performances. Kilmer’s daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, has publicly supported the project, backing its release and the effort to preserve her father’s presence on screen.
Kilmer was first offered the role in 2018, but production was delayed and eventually derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. As his health declined in the years that followed, he was no longer able to return to acting.
Still, before his death, Kilmer reportedly expressed a wish to remain involved in the project in some form. That intention ultimately led filmmakers to recreate his image, voice, and likeness using AI so he could appear in the finished film.
Mercedes shared that her father “wanted to do this” to create “structures for actors to own their licensing and to have rights.” she added, “My dad was very passionate that this is the time, before these laws are written, to make sure that there’s a structure for compensation, to make sure that actors get paid on par with what they would get paid if they were physically doing it, and if it creates more jobs in that way, that’s wonderful.”
Learn more about the sweet relationship between Val and his daughter, Mercedes.
Val and Mercedes were very close
Mercedes was the first of Kilmer’s children born in 1991 and the father-daughter pair had a very close relationship. Kilmer occasionally spoke about his children, explaining that he was “learning from my daughter about everything—life itself.”
“I am just madly, wildly entertained by them,” Val shared about his kids. “My only gripe is that I never see them enough, so I never get enough of the wild entertainment that everyone else gets, but they’re really, really, entertaining.”
Their bond was strengthened following the actor’s diagnosis, as he leaned on his children for support.
The duo starred in a film together
Not only did they enjoy spending time together as family but they also worked together. Mercedes booked a role as her father’s daughter in the film Paydirt (2020). The actor starred as Sheriff Tucker while Mercedes played his daughter, Jamie.
“Playing his daughter was so trippy and perfect,” Mercedes shared. “I’m so proud to have been in this film and to have worked on this film like not just because my dad is my actual dad, but because I know you don’t really lead with this but you do have now a disability with your voice, and it really meant a lot to me to be able to be involved in this film that centers a disabled actor, or an actor with a disability.”
Val wanted to be a present father
Despite Val Kilmer being a major Hollywood star, he always prioritized is family. The actor opened up about being a present father in a 2012 interview, explaining that he would rather turn down roles than being away from his kids.
“I did not just turn down 5 really great directors but 10 really great directors just because I was trying to be responsible to my family or my marriage,” Kilmer explained. “I just didn’t pay attention to business. I can’t be a responsible parent and only be there three or four months a year.”
Although Kilmer has over 100 acting credits to his name, he still prioritized his family and his kids were aware of that. Mercedes often speaks highly of her father, sharing that she would enjoy being friends with him even if they weren’t related.
“My dad is such a smart and creative person that I love hanging out with, even if he wasn’t my dad, too,” she shared in 2020.
Copyright 2026 A360 Media
This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 2:59 PM.