Lately, I’ve been going down rabbit holes about my favorite movies, and it’s led me to some pretty interesting facts. One movie I love is The Princess Bride, and it’s not just because I’ve had a crush on Westley forever; it’s also just the quintessential love story. Here are 17 wild, excellent, and interesting facts I learned about the making of the movie.
1.
When Count Rugen hits Westley over the head, Cary Elwes asked Christopher Guest to hit him for real. Guest hit him so hard that Elwes was knocked unconscious and had to go to the hospital, shutting down production for a day.
2.
Director Rob Reiner kept ruining takes of Billy Crystal’s scenes because Crystal’s performance would make him laugh so hard.
3.
Mandy Patinkin had recently lost his father to cancer when he started filming and has said when he said, “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die,” that he felt like he was talking to cancer. Patinkin said, “The minute I read the script, I knew, I said to [my wife], I said, ‘I’m going to do this part because in my mind if I get the six-fingered guy, that means I killed the cancer that killed my dad, and I’ll get to visit my dad.”
4.
André the Giant’s back problems prevented him from actually being able to lift anything heavy. Robin Wright had to be put on wires when she jumped from the castle, and Fezzik caught her in the movie.
5.
Dread Pirate Roberts was a real person. Bartholomew Roberts was a Welsh pirate active in the Caribbean in the 18th century.
6.
Mel Smith had to wear contacts for his role as The Albino, but unbeknownst to him (and the makeup department), he was allergic to the lens solution. He was in extreme eye pain throughout filming.
7.
Max and Valerie (Billy Crystal and Carol Kane) are named after William Goldman’s parents. William Goldman wrote The Princess Bride.
8.
William Goldman also wrote the screenplay for the movie, taking the best parts of his book and paring the 493-page book into a 98-minute movie.
12.
According to Cary Elwes, one time, production was ground to a halt after a 16-second fart from André the Giant. Rob Reiner asked, “André, are you OK?” To which André responded, “I am now, boss.”
13.
Bob Anderson, the swordmaster for the movie, was an Olympian who also worked as the swordmaster for The Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lord of the Rings.
14.
Wallace Shawn had an incredible fear of heights, so when they rappeled up the cliffs, Shawn was about to pass out as they started ascending. Mandy Patinkin said André the Giant put his hand on Shawn’s head and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you, I’ll take care of you,” and Shawn was able to do the scene.
15.
The cast recalled how they all filmed on location, stayed at the same hotel, and had dinner together. The vibe was a lot like being at a movie camp.
16.
To film the Cliffs of Insanity swordfight scene, Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin set out to watch “every swordfight ever filmed.” Their favorite was Scaramouche with Stewart Granger and Mel Ferrer.
17.
Finally, Rob Reiner mentioned once he met a woman who said, “The Princess Bride saved my life.” She was skiing when an avalanche caused her to get stuck in the snow. She said she recited every line in the movie to keep everyone occupied while waiting for rescue.
