The Princess Bride star Mandy Patinkin has opened up about the heartbreaking backstory behind one of the film’s most famous scenes.
In the 1987 fantasy adventure, Patinkin played Inigo Montoya, a Spanish fencer determined to avenge his father’s murder.
The character eventually comes face to face with the six-fingered villain (Christopher Guest) who killed his father, and utters the film’s most widely-quoted line: “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
Inigo Montoya also tells his foe: “I want my father back, you son of a b****.”
TikTok user Amanda Webb shared a video in which she revealed how much the scene resonated with her after the death of her father, citing a rumour that Patinkin had his own father in mind when he filmed the scene. Patinkin’s father had died from cancer before filming.
The Homeland star was then tagged into the video after Webb’s TikTok went viral, and shared his own reaction earlier this week.
“First of all, your dad is taking care of you,” said the actor. “Secondly, it is true. A hundred per cent true. I went outside in this castle [set on the film] and walked around, and I kept talking to my dad. And I said, ‘Dad, I’m gonna get this guy.’ From the minute I read the script, I knew. I said to [my wife] Kath, I said, ‘I’m gonna do this part because, in my mind, if I get this six-fingered guy, that means I killed the cancer that killed my dad, and I’ll get to visit my dad.’”
Patinkin was visibly choked up as he continued: “I went and I played that scene with Chris, and then I went back out there and I talked to my dad. So you can talk to your dad any time you want, anywhere you want.”
The emotional clip then concludes with Patinkin asking to learn Webb’s father’s name, so he can keep him in his prayers.
The Princess Bride can be streamed in the UK on Amazon Prime Video.
