On one hand, Rob Reiners comedy-romance-adventure feels as fresh now as it did then.
The sword fights are still spectacular, the love story is still sweet, and the jokes still land.
Even though it pokes at well-worn fairytale tropes, it does so with love.
Everett Collection
On the surface,The Princess Brideseems like your classic fairytale.
Cary Elwes, to talk about the films enduring legacy.
Its something that everybody can enjoy.
Thats very rare today.
I think thats one of the reasons why Fox is rereleasing the film in theaters.
Its nice to see it on the big screen and take the whole family, you know?
But I also think that its just such a quirky movie.
Its such a strange film.
And I think thats whats resonated with people.
And by the way, unlike anything that William Goldmans ever written.
And it turns out that its his favorite of all the things hes ever been involved with.
When you read them, Im sure theyll jog your memory.
It was an incredible way of jogging my memory.
So Im eternally grateful to Norman… and also for casting me in the film!
He had to approve Robs choice of me.
He gave me the career that I have today with that role.
I didnt know that Andre kept Robin warm by putting his giant head over her head.
He covered her entire skull to keep her warm!
I still meet folks who still have their copy.
So thanks to the invention of the VCR, this film got a whole new life.
And thats when people started quoting the film to me in the street.
I mean, people have got vast portions of the screenplay tattooed on their body.
So whats the most popular choice of line?
Im assuming you hear a lot of As you wish?Yeah, for me.
I got it easier than Wallace Shawn.
He says, You dont even know, Cary, how many times I hear inconceivable a day.
Every time he drops his keys or misses a cab or something.
If anything, its gaining momentum.
Its up there withStar Warsmerchandise now.
Its not quiteStar Warscrazy, but its up there.
And they were incredible.
They trained us every day.
We trained for about three weeks in prep, and then every day during the shoot.
They would grab myself and Mandy between takes if we had enough time to even do five minutes.
We would literally walk off the set a few yards and practice and go right back to shooting.
So we worked very hard at it.
I stupidly broke my toe.
I was able to do all those tricks because I was able to focus on it.
I couldnt move my foot much.
You and Mandy did a vast majority of your own stunts.
There were only a few moments when you had a double?Theres only one moment.
Theres only one moment where its not us.
[Laughs] And thats the acrobat we brought in to do the swinging around on the bar.
Other than that, its all me and Mandy, which is what Rob wanted.
He said that to us at the beginning of the movie: I dont want stunt doubles.
I want you guys.
I want to be able to look from every angle and see that its you.
Did you keep any props or costumes from the set?I didnt.
But Norman, god bless him, bought me a sword.
He found the company that made it and had another one made for me.
So that was very sweet.
Do you still remember any of the fight choreography?No.
[Laughs] That was 30 years ago.
As I told you, I was lucky to remember what happened during the shoot.
When everyone talks about this film, one of the first things they think about is Andre the Giant.
He was such a gentle soul.
Wherever he went, he obviously turned heads because he was 7 4, 450 pounds.
You see that coming from a mile away.
And he loved that.
So I think we really got a very relaxed Andre.
He had this beautiful smile on his face all day long, and he was happy.
Even though he was in a lot of pain, he never complained or anything.
He was just delightful to be around.
It was just lovely.
We all became very much like a family, but Rob works that way.
He likes to create a familial atmosphere on his sets.
He likes to take the cast out to dinner nearly every night, and he keeps that camaraderie going.
And its a lovely thing.
I would have never have fooled around on Andres all-terrain vehicle.
So yes, I would not have done that probably.
