The Princess Bride actor Mandy Patinkin related a story about how his legendary co-star Andre the Giant helped another actor in the film through a fear of heights.
Celebrating the 35th-anniversary release of Rob Reiner's fantasy adventure classic, Patinkin tweeted a video to reminisce about his performance as the Spanish swordsman, Inigo Montoya. Among the stories he shared about his Princess Bride experience was working with the Eighth Wonder of the World, Andre the Giant, who played Fezzik and was known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation. One memory of Andre that stood out for Patinkin was how he helped co-star Wallace Shawn overcome his anxiety during the production of the "Cliffs of Insanity" sequence.
The Hero Behind Fezzik
"We were in the studio and they had the mountain built and the mountain had a rubber, I think it was built around a rubber or something, but there was a rubber seam down the middle," Patinkin said. "And in that seam was a forklift on the other side you didn't see and a metal shaft that came in the middle of it. And so Wally and Robin and I were in bicycle seats sitting there to keep all of our weight off of Andre because he had issues with his back... Wally had a fear of heights... But we get on the thing and the forklift starts to go up and Wally starts to clearly have issues with being lifted off the ground and the height. And Andre just puts his arms around him like a baby and he says to Wally 'Don't worry. I'll take care of you.'"
The actor continued to talk about how Andre's protection of Shawn during the scene helped to relax him and allow director Reiner to continue shooting without incident.
In the years since the film's release, many of Andre's Princess Bride co-stars have told stories of his kind personality, which contrasted with his heel persona in the WWF/WWE. Co-star Fred Savage retold the story of how he met the wrestling legend after completing a day of shooting. "He made a surprise visit to set one day and he was gentle and kind and charming and funny and answered every question I had," Savage said. "He sent me a Christmas card every year until he passed away. It was the one I looked forward to the most."
The Princess Bride was a modest hit when it was released in 1987, but it was received well by critics at the time and earned the status of a cult classic when it was released on home video. Andre's performance was so memorable that he was immortalized as a super-sized limited edition Funko Pop at New York Comic-Con 2020.
Source: Twitter