Val Kilmer is happy pal Heath Ledger got to show off his acting talents in challenging roles before his untimely death - because now he'll be considered one of the greats.

The Doors star discovered a soulmate in Ledger but always worried the "interesting and successful" roles he played never showed his true talents.

But, thanks to Brokeback Mountain and the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight, the late Aussie's legacy will be spot on.

Kilmer tells WENN, "I've known him for a number of years and there was a gravity to him that came up.

"It's tough, but when I think about him, in terms of the tragedy of his life ending, I'm happy that he got to do a couple of roles that matched what he was capable of because he always seemed to me an actor doing interesting and successful work, but he was better than some of those roles."

Former Batman Kilmer and the new Joker Ledger met up a month before the latter died from an accidental drug overdose in January (08) and Kilmer still has fond memories of their last meeting.

He recalls, "He was very proud of having quit drinking. We were in a nasty smoke-filled club and I was drinking water and Heath's like, 'Hey, you're drinking water,' and I'm like, 'Yeah, you're drinking water too,' and he was excited about drinking water.

"He said he hadn't had a drink in about a year."