Andre the Giant’s performance as Fezzik in the classic film The Princess Bride is considered one of the great successes as it relates to a wrestler’s foray into the movies. Academy Award nominee Chris Sarandon, who co-starred in the movie with Andre, shared with SLAM! Wrestling how impressed he was with Andre’s seamless transition from the squared circle to the silver screen.
Andre the Giant and Wallace Shawn in The Princess Bride.
“He was a total natural,” Sarandon recalled during an exclusive interview at the Niagara Falls Comic-Con, taking place this weekend. “He was utterly professional. Even though he was, in many ways in great pain a lot of the time, he was always (on set) on time, and always did a great job.”
Sarandon, who played King Humperdinck in the movie, didn’t actually have any scenes with Andre, but still managed to become friends as a result of their daily interactions throughout the shoot.
“The cast had dinner together almost every night because were all staying at the same hotel, so I got to have time with him that way. He was a really unique guy. He had a wonderful sense of humour — he was very funny.”
“But he was a very sensitive guy as well,” he said, smiling at the memory. “(His sensitive nature) really belied the fact that physically he was such an intimidating figure. But he was the least intimidating person I think I ever met. He had such a sweetness to him, which worked so well on-screen, because Fezzik was a gentle giant.”
Most importantly, at those cast dinners, did Sarandon get to witness Andre’s legendary ability to drink vast quantities of alcohol?
“Every night,” he laughed.
The Niagara Falls Comic-Con wraps up on Sunday. A number of wrestling legends and Hall of Famers will be on-hand for autographs and photo ops: Trish Stratus, Amy “Lita” Dumas, Ric Flair, and the Dream Team of Brutus “the Barber” Beefcake and Greg “the Hammer” Valentine. Both Flair and the Dream Team will also be doing fan Q&A panels on Sunday. In addition to the wrestling stars, other celebrity guests include Jaleel “Urkel” White, Ralph “Daniel-San” Macchio, Michael Rooker from Guardians of the Galaxy, acting legend Wilford Brimley, Star Trek: the Next Generation‘s Jonathan “Riker” Frakes, stars from Cheers, Revenge of the Nerds, and many others. Visit nfcomiccon.com for details.
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