Val Kilmer ponders run for N.M. governor in 2010

SANTA FE, N.M. -- Holy hornet's nest, Batman! The New Mexico governor's mansion?

Fresh from the inauguration -- a commemorative coin still in his pocket -- actor Val Kilmer is pondering the pull of public service.

Some "serious people" want him to consider running for governor, he said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"I'm just looking for ways to be contributive," Kilmer said, dunking his tea bag in a big mug of hot water at a local restaurant. "And if that ends up being where I can make a substantial contribution, then I'll run."

But there's no decision yet.

"It's really day to day," he added.

New Mexicans elect a governor again in 2010, when Democrat Bill Richardson's second term ends.

A Kilmer candidacy could throw a monkey wrench into the well-oiled Democratic machine of Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who's already running for the job.

Kilmer's screen credits include Batman in "Batman Forever" in 1995 and brash fighter pilot Lt. Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky in the 1986 hit "Top Gun."

He also starred as rock icon Jim Morrison in the 1991 Oliver Stone film, "The Doors," and played gunslinger Doc Holliday in "Tombstone" in 1993.

He grew up in Los Angeles but has called New Mexico home for more than two decades.

"There's been a Kilmer out here since the 1880s," the actor said.

His grandfather was a prospector who came north from Texas, found gold in the Gila River area and is buried in Truth or Consequences.

"You know (Walter) Huston in 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre'? That's my grandpa. Just a real eccentric, fantastic character."

Kilmer, who lives on ranch southeast of Santa Fe, says he has been responsible as an artist, a parent -- he has two children with his former wife, British actress Joanne Whalley -- and a community member, "but I've never done much in a public way."

That includes voting.

"I haven't voted very much," he acknowledges -- although he cast a ballot for Barack Obama from Bulgaria, where he was filming.

Before that, Kilmer hadn't voted in New Mexico since he registered in 1992, according to registration records.

He also contributed some money to consumer advocate Ralph Nader, although he didn't campaign for him.

"He's a friend, and I think he's more right about a lot of things than his campaign reflects," said Kilmer, who is currently registered as a Democrat.

Kilmer, 49, said he hasn't sought much recognition for his charitable work nationally and internationally -- in Africa, for example, or in post-Katrina New Orleans, where he heads in a couple of weeks. He'll be celebrity king in the pre-Mardi Gras Krewe of Bacchus parade and visit Children's Hospital.

"In general, as an actor I didn't choose to be very vocal about stuff," he said.

And he's not a politician, he said.

"So I'm not going to try to become one," he added. "I have no interest in being governor of New Mexico for ... fame and power."

Nor would he have to run a conventional campaign, he said.

As an entertainer, he'd benefit from an indisputable fact : People want to meet him.

"If I run, I'm going to be the next governor," he predicted.

Meanwhile, he's getting out and about, and he's listening to people -- something he says he's pretty good at.

"What I do for a living is listen," he said.

"I'm famous for movies, but ... my gift is the theater, and that's a live experience."

He finds New Mexicans unconventional and tolerant.

"I'm not a conventional guy in Hollywood. I wasn't into the New York theater scene. But I kind of fit right in here," he said.