Val Kilmer has been on the screen since the late 1980s, when he gained popularity for his roles in Real Genius and Top Secret! He later starred in Top Gun with Tom Cruise and Batman Forever.

In 2015, the actor contracted throat cancer and lost his voice due to tracheal surgery. To speak, he got an electric vocal apparatus inserted into his trachea, and could only eat through a tube. However, in 2021, Sonantic helped restore his true voice using artificial intelligence and previous recordings.

A video posted on YouTube describes the process of finding a voice using AI. The new voice really mimics the one that Vel Kilmer’s family and fans are used to.

“People around me struggle to understand me when I’m talking. But despite all that, I still feel I’m the exact same person, still the same creative soul. A soul that dreams ideas and stories constantly. But now I can express myself again, I can bring these dreams to you, and show you this part of myself once more. A part that was never truly gone, just hiding away,” expressed the actor about his feelings from getting his voice.

In 2021, the documentary Val about the life and career of the actor was released. And this week, a sequel to the legendary movie with Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer Top Gun: Maverick will appear on the screens, in which Sonantic technology allowed the actor to speak in his own voice again.