The daytime talk show host, 50, told Us Weekly exclusively that Kilmer championed her on set when the two filmed Batman Forever nearly 30 years ago. The Top Gun actor, who starred as the titular hero in the '90s superhero flick, died on April 1 at age 65 after a battle with pneumonia.
"I remember Val Kilmer very dearly," Barrymore recalled to Us at CBS Fest on Wednesday, May 7. "He was a very good friend to me and a really great guy. He would say, 'Oh, I'm doing this photo shoot. Come on down and you can be in the picture.' He and [director] Joel Schumacher wanted very much to support me, lift me up, and put me in that movie because I wasn't working very much at that time."
Barrymore starred as Sugar, Two-Face's (Tommy Lee Jones) angel-esque assistant, in Batman Forever, which was a sequel to 1992's Batman Returns. The 1995 film was a box office success and revitalized Barrymore's career, which she shared she was "trying to restart" at that time.
"[Kilmer and Schumacher] were the safe men who just wanted to see me shine," Barrymore said about her costar and her 80-year-old director, who died from cancer in June 2020. "That is a very big deal. They're both gone now and they were both incredible guys."
After Batman Forever, Barrymore starred in several box office hits, including Scream, Ever After, Never Been Kissed, Charlie's Angels, The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates. She earned a Golden Globe for her performance in 2009's HBO film Grey Gardens and has been hosting her own eponymous talk show since 2020.
The mother of two is also executive producing the CBS revival of Hollywood Squares, which was renewed for a second season in February. Barrymore told Us that the game show, which is hosted by former NFL player and TV host Nate Burleson, has a family-like atmosphere on set.
"We're all like this family that's riffing off each other. We can all take it and handle it. We can go pretty far," Barrymore explained. "Feelings aren't getting hurt. In fact, it's kind of stoking the flames. That's a healthy environment. We're making jokes with the comedians. Everyone is in a little comedy tornado with each other."
Hollywood Squares airs on CBS Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET and is available to stream on Paramount+.