The Doors’ Robby Krieger Recalls Thinking the Late Val Kilmer Didn’t Look Like Jim Morrison When He Landed Biopic Role

The Doors guitarist opens up about his first encounter with the late actor, revealing he wasn’t so sure about him being cast as their frontman in Oliver Stone’s 1991 movie

• The Doors guitarist Robby Krieger said he didn’t think the late Val Kilmer looked like Jim Morrison upon learning he was cast in the 1991 biopic
• After hearing Kilmer sing, he realized Kilmer was capable of playing The Doors frontman
• Kilmer died on April 1 at 65 years old

The Doors guitarist Robby Krieger is looking back on his first encounter with Val Kilmer.

The late actor, who died at age 65 on April 1, memorably portrayed the ’60s rock band’s legendary frontman, Jim Morrison, in director Oliver Stone’s 1991 biopic.

While Kilmer’s performance in the movie ultimately garnered critical acclaim, Krieger, 79, admittedly had his doubts about the then-30-year-old actor, who was most well known for Top Gun, after first meeting him in 1990.

“He came up to me and said, ‘Hi Robby, I’m Val Kilmer, I got the gig, I’m going to play Jim,’ ” Krieger told USA Today in an interview published on Tuesday, April 22.

The guitarist continued, “I said to him, ‘Really?’ I mean, he neither looked nor acted anything like Jim. So I said, ‘How did you get the job?’ “

According to the outlet, Kilmer then showed him a video of himself singing as Morrison in “a Doors tribute band before any of this had happened,” Krieger said.

He added, “So, he plays me this clip and man, it was damn good. He wasn’t dressed like Jim of course, but when I saw that, I said, ‘OK, this guy can do it.’ And obviously, that’s what Oliver had thought, too.”

In the biopic, Kilmer starred as Morrison while the rest of the band was filled out with Kevin Dillon as drummer John Densmore, Kyle MacLachlan as keyboardist Ray Manzarek and Frank Whaley as Krieger. The movie also featured Meg Ryan, Crispin Glover, Billy Idol, Debi Mazar and others as it depicts the band’s rise in Los Angeles and Morrison’s own ups and downs before his untimely death at 27 years old.

During the making of the movie, Krieger said he and Densmore met with Kilmer several times, revealing how impressed he was by the actor’s commitment to the role.

“Val sang about 90 percent of the stuff you hear in that movie,” the guitarist said, per the outlet, adding that “he spent quite a bit of time learning those songs… Dan Rothchild [son of The Doors producer Paul Rothchild] said Val and his dad would get together every day and practice going over all The Doors songs he had to do so he could sing them just right. He just put so much into it.”

Following Kilmer’s death in April, the band paid tribute to the actor. On their official Instagram account, the group wrote, “We are sad to hear of the passing of Val Kilmer, a truly gifted actor whose powerful performance as Jim in The Doors film helped introduce the band’s story and music to a new generation.”

They added, “Val brought incredible depth, intensity, and heart to every role he played, and his dedication to portraying Jim left a lasting impression. Thank you, Val – you’ll always be a part of The Doors’ story.”

Densmore wrote on his Instagram that “as an actor, Val’s channeling of Jim (Morrison) was so close, he gave me the creeps on the set of Oliver Stone’s biopic. He should have been nominated for an Oscar as Best Actor.”

Echoing that sentiment, Nicolas Cage said in a statement to PEOPLE, “I always liked Val and am sad to hear of his passing. I thought he was a genius actor. I enjoyed working with him on Bad Lieutenant and I admired his commitment and sense of humor. He should have won the Oscar for The Doors.”