Princess Bride actor to screen film in Anderson

Feb. 7—ANDERSON — Cary Elwes' childhood friend wasn't a person but a television set.

"I thought this was a magic box that people were having so much fun in. I became mesmerized and thought, 'I have to get inside that box,'" he said.

Elwes' spent time watching and learning from his heroes, including British comedian Peter Sellers and actors Lawrence Olivier, and Peter O'Toole.

In the mid 80s, he caught the attention of Rob Reiner, who would go on to direct, "The Princess Bride."

Elwes was a big fan of Reiner and William Goldman, who authored the book, which he read as a teenager.

Reiner cast Elwes as Westley, the film's leading man.

However, the film was not an immediate success.

"It was a very tough film to sell because of the title and it was a very unusual film. ... It found its audience when it came out on VHS," Elwes said.

It also allowed him to meet several well-established actors such as Billy Crystal and Chris Sarandon.

Elwes will be talking about those experiences and more after a screening of "The Princess Bride," Friday night at the Paramount Theatre.

He is excited to return to Indiana as it is the home of James Dean, whom he reveres.

Elwes has become a well-established actor himself, with a career spanning more than 30 years.

He most recently shared the screen with Tom Cruise in "Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I," and Hugh Grant in "Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre."

Cruise and Elwes reunited on screen after 30 years of not working together.

"'Let's get together and have some fun'", he remembered Cruise saying.

Follow Caleb Amick on Twitter @AmickCaleb. Contact him at [email protected] or 765-648-4254.