“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” Those words are instantly recognizable to any fan ofThe Princess Bride,Rob Reiner’s cult classic fantasy film — and now, those words have an even deeper meaning. Thanks to TikTok userAmanda Webb(@alaska_webb), we now have confirmation fromMandy Patinkin, the Broadway star andCriminal Mindsalum who played Inigo, of the longstanding rumor that he had performed the famous scene in which Inigo kills the villainous Count Rugen in honor of his own father.
The TikTok video showed Patinkin and his wife,Kathryn Grody, reacting to a video of Webb reaching out into the ether to see if anyone could confirm the rumor. Webb revealed that her father, who passed away from cancer in March 2021, adored Patinkin inThe Princess Bride, and wondered if it was true that he had thought of his own father who had passed away from cancer when shooting the scene. She then, through tears, thought that the video “won’t ever go [so] far” as to reach Patinkin, but that she was “really curious” because the scene “means so much more to [her] now than it ever did” after the loss of her father.
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Thousands of users tagged Patinkin’s account in the video, hoping to pass it on to the actor, who gladly confirmed that everything Webb said was true, through tears of his own:
“First of all, your dad is taking care of you. Secondly, it is true. A hundred percent true. I went outside in this castle [set] 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 Kath, “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.” That moment was coming, and I went and I played that scene with [Christopher Guest], and then I went back out there and I talked to my dad. And so, you can talk to your dad any time you want, anywhere you want.”
Patinkin also reached out and asked for the name of Webb’s father to keep him in his prayers, as he felt like he “now knows” Webb and her father. The video skyrocketed to viral popularity, with over four and a half million views and nearly a million likes in under twenty-four hours — proving that if Patinkin hadn’t won his spot in film history upon the film’s release and adoration by millions, he certainly has now.
To relive Patinkin’s turn as Inigo Montoya, and experience the scene in question, fans can now streamThe Princess Brideon Disney+. Check out the full heartwarming video below:
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