During the filming of the 1993 Western classic Tombstone, Kurt Russell and the late Val Kilmer developed an

unforgettable behind-the-scenes relationship.

However, their enduring friendship, lasting long after the cameras stopped rolling, won hearts more than their

on-screen chemistry as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.

In a recent interview, Kurt Russell talked candidly about one of the most surprising and significant

gifts he has ever received; in light of Kilmer’s loss, the gift has even greater significance.

A Trade of Meaningful Gifts

Russell clarified after the film’s completion that it was customary for actors to give and receive gifts at the conclusion of a movie, particularly when their participation was particularly noteworthy.

“When you’re working with people, you’d get them, sometimes at the end of the show, you get them trade gifts,” Russell said.

Russell chose a burial place in Boot Hill Graveyard, the actual cemetery in Tombstone, Arizona where many Wild West legends are interred, as a suitable tribute to Val Kilmer’s iconic portrayal of the endearing and tragic gunslinger Doc Holliday.

It was a historically relevant and darkly comic gift that complemented Kilmer’s character’s fatalistic nature. Russell was unaware, however, that Kilmer had already planned his own surprise.

A Quiet Acre with a View

“What Val had gotten me was an acre of land overlooking Boot Hill,” Russell revealed, smiling at the strange poetry of their gift exchange.