Mandy Patinkin: How I bruised a rib filming 'Princess Bride'

New York Post

13-06-2025

Hello, his name is Inigo Montoya.
Mandy Patinkin, who starred as the iconic Spanish fencer in the classic 1987 fairy tale swashbuckler 'The Princess Bride,' revealed that fans still recite his character's lines to him 'pretty much on a daily basis.'
In the Rob Reiner-directed movie, Inigo is on a revenge quest to avenge his father, and famously repeats, 'Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die,' to 'the six fingered man' (Christopher Guest).
Advertisement
'I pinch myself every time it happens,' Patinkin, 72, exclusively told the Post. 'I can't get over that I got to be that guy in that movie. How does that happen? I don't know how it happens!'
9 Mandy Patinkin in 'The Princess Bride.'
Everett Collection (25543.jpg) 5543.jpg) 5543.jpg)
9 andy Patinkin performs onstage during the National Dance Institute (NDI) Annual Gala at The Ziegfeld Ballroom on April 30, 2018 in New York City.
Getty Images for National Dance Institute
Advertisement
The 1987 comedy follows farm boy-turned-pirate Westley (Cary Elwes), who must rescue his true love, Butttercup (Robin Wright) from the evil Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon). Along the way, they make enemies-turned-allies with Inigo Montoya, and his friend Fezzik (Andre the Giant).
The modern classic boasts a slew of fans, from the Pope to mobster John Gotti's crew.
Patinkin has kept busy since the hit, recently debuting the pilot of his new show, 'Seasoned,' at the Tribeca Film Festival, which also stars his wife, actress Kathryn Grody.
9 Mandy Patinkin attends a ceremony honoring him with the 2,629th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 12, 2018 in Hollywood, California.
Getty Images
Advertisement
Co-created by Ewen Wright and their real-life son, Gideon Grody-Patinkin, 'Seasoned' is currently looking for a distributor (it was originally set to air on Showtime, then got dropped amid reshuffling and the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike).
The show follows Patinkin and Grody, 78, playing exaggerated versions of themselves as they have various comedic misadventures around New York.
Patinkin's resume also includes 'Homeland,' Barbra Streisand's 'Yentl' and a Tony win for 'Evita.' But, his early career role as the revenge seeking Inigo Montoya remains one of his most iconic.
9 Mandy Patinkin and Cary Elwes in 'The Princess Bride.'
20th Century Fox Licensing/Merchandising / Everett Collection
Advertisement
9 Mandy Patinkin with his wife Kathryn Grody in their video interview with the New York Post on June 11, 2025.
Brian Zak/Page Six
In fact, he's shocked that 'The Princess Bride' is talked about thirty years later.
'Absolutely not,' he said on if he thought it would be a hit. 'I knew it was fun.'
So much so, that the Tony winner got hurt on set.
'The only injury I got was when Billy Crystal was doing 13th century period jokes, ten hours a day for three days straight,' he said, referring to the scene when Westley (Elwes) was 'mostly dead,' so Inigo and his friend Fezzik bring him to Miracle Max (Crystal) to perform a miracle and revive Westley.
9 Andre the Giant, Mandy Patinkin and Wallace Shawn in 'The Princess Bride' in 1987.
20th Century Fox Licensing/Merchandising / Everett Collection
9 Robin Wright, Andre the Giant, and Mandy Patinkin in 'The Princess Bride.'
Everett Collection (76908.jpg)
'I bruised a rib holding in my laughter,' he recalled. 'I had to be off camera holding a straight face because [Billy] couldn't see, because he had cataract contacts.'
Advertisement
Patinkin and Grody, 78, were together at the time the film debuted.
'I remember sitting at the first screening [of 'The Princess Bride'], and man, he just went, 'This story works.' He couldn't get over that he was in a movie where the story worked,' she told the Post.
9 Carol Kane and Billy Crystal in 'The Princess Bride.'
20th Century Fox Licensing/Merchandising / Everett Collection
9 Mandy Patinkin, Andre the Giant, Cary Elwes, Carol Kane and Billy Crystal in 'The Princess Bride.'
©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
Advertisement
Patinkin even got emotional at the first screening.
'I'm a big crybaby, so I was starting to cry,' he said. '[Reiner had the cast watch a rough cut] where, music was rough, lines were going through edits and stuff like that.'
'I remember saying, 'I haven't even had time to dream of being in a movie like this.' I couldn't believe that it happened,' Patinkin said. 'And, you know, I've gotten more dreams than any human being deserves, in terms of being able to do their work.'