CHARLTON HESTON
Oct. 24, 1923–April 5, 2008
By Val Kilmer
I had such a great time with ''Chuck.'' It was hot and dusty, I remember his beautiful wife and he looked as fresh as the youngest rookie on the set of Tombstone — such a pro, such a ready laugh. What I most enjoyed was our lively discussion regarding nuclear arms! I was and am very anti-nuclear bombs and any version of a first strike scenario, which I made clear early on. He was gracious, considerate, and articulate about his own opinions.
I felt he was a committed product of his time, and respected him for his confidence. Years later I felt for him as it was clear Mr. Moore took unfair advantage of Mr. Heston's same openness and willingness to share his views. Mr. Moore makes many important points vivid in his challenging films, and I support his efforts to address the issues that are most crucial to these times. However he diminished his product the day he left his bullying of this great star in his final cut. I've had the chance to play Moses for Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Geffen and Steven Spielberg, and again on stage in Los Angeles, so the man came up often. Let's see him there, guiding us through a Technicolor version of DeMille's Hollywood holy land. It's as far away from the real Promised Land as Atom Bombs are a deterrent, but Charlton Heston was a big old time star for those times. He's impressive. He's America. He's forever up there on larger than life Vistavision with the Ten Commandments over his head. Let's leave him there. Grand as the Grand Canyon that must separate Old from New.
Heston, 84, died of penumonia in L.A.
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