Val Kilmer's Neighbors Want Him to Apologize

Val Kilmer is feeling the heat.

The actor, who wants to turn his 6,000-acre New Mexico ranch into an upscale bed-and-breakfast, is under intense pressure this week from neighbors trying to block the project, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Kilmer, 50, found himself in the danger zone with locals when he applied for permits for the venture, launching protests from fellow Santa Fe area residents still upset about comments he made in past magazine interviews.

The actor was quoted in a 2003 interview with Rolling Stone as saying his neighborhood was "the homicide capital of the Southwest" and that "80 percent of the people in my county are drunk."

Two years later, Esquire published an interview with the actor in which he said he understood how to play a Vietnam veteran better than someone who had actually fought in the war, and that the soldiers were "borderline criminal or poor ... wretched kids" who only served in the military because they "got beat up by their dads" or "couldn't finagle a scholarship."

Kilmer later said he was misquoted both times.

In February, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported that he denied disparaging Vietnam veterans during a visit to the state capitol, saying, "I didn't make that statement. ... I have nothing but praise and respect for veterans."

At a hearing to discuss Kilmer's application for permits, The Journal reported, a group of area residents and veterans demanded an official apology from the actor before allowing him to host paying guests at his Pecos River Ranch.

Jesus Lopez, the county attorney, agreed, told The Journal that Kilmer's quotes were "incendiary" and created a "clear and present danger threatening public safety."

The New Mexico ACLU then jumped into the fray and offered to represent Kilmer, though the organization did not respond to calls or e-mails, according to The Journal.

David Salazar, chairman of the local commission reviewing the request for permits, told The Journal that Kilmer's application will be reviewed on its merits aside from the controversy. A public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, and Salazar said Kilmer is expected to attend.

Kilmer, who hinted in recent years that he was considering a run for New Mexico governor, recently told local newspaper the Albuquerque Journal that he has tried to be a good neighbor, supporting local schools and wildlife preservation.

"It's very upsetting for my friends," he said. "I'm not worried at all about the reaction because I just see it as an opportunity to bring people together."

The Associated Press reported that calls and e-mails to Kilmer and his publicist have not been returned.