The Princess Bride is one of the best romantic comedies of all time. However, according to the movie’s star Cary Elwes, it’s not even in the top two roles most fans recognize him from. The actor says whenever fans approach him in the real world, it’s to express their love of his performance in two different types of movies. And according to the star, there aren’t many crossover fans between the two.
Cary Elwes told Empire Magazine (via ComicBook.com) although The Princess Bride is a beloved classic, it’s a combination of his time in the horror movies franchise Saw and Mel Brooks’ comedy Robin Hood: Men in Tights which fans most recognize him from. The A Castle for Christmas star told the publication:
I would say it’s a combination of my characters in Saw and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. It’s very rare that I find someone who is a fan of both.
I’ll admit it’s not the two roles I would have imagined the actor is most recognized for. I still think of him as Lord Arthur Holmwood in the Francis Ford Coppola-directed Bram’s Stoker’s Dracula, but I suppose that’s just me.
While now considered a classic comedy by some, Robin Hood: Men in Tights was mainly panned upon release and opened at number 6 at the box office. Roger Ebert, the legendary film critic with the Chicago Sun-Times, went as far as to name it one of the worst movies released in 1993. Still the movie has some big laughs, and it is worth checking out if only to see a young Dave Chappelle and for Elwes’ wonderful English accent. Hey, some Robin Hoods can’t even pull that off–no offense Kevin Costner.
Saw (2004) sees Elwes play Dr. Lawrence Gordon, a doctor who wakes up and finds himself chained to a dingy and abandoned bathroom across the room from a photographer named Adam, who are both forced to play a deranged game. The movie was a box office smash that launched the careers of first-time director James Wan, writer/actor Leigh Whannell. It also ushered in the era of torture porn horror cinema that dominated the early 2000s. After nine sequels, the series is still going strong, with Saw X’s release right around the corner, and though Elwes only appears in two of the flicks, he had a significant part to play in the series’ longevity. Horror fans can be incredibly loyal, so it’s no wonder the actor is still approached about this movie.
No matter what role you remember Cary Elwes from, and there are so many good ones to choose from, we can all agree he’s an actor worthy of our attention. Lucky for us fellow Elwes fans, the actor has been cast in Zack Snyder’s upcoming Netflix release Rebel Moon, which recently celebrated the start of filming. And he will be featured in the forthcoming Mission: Impossible 7 alongside adrenaline junky Tom Cruise.