‘The Princess Bride’: Wright wanted the fairy tale
Breeanna Hare, CNN
Updated
3:13 PM EDT, Sun May 18, 2014
Photos: 'The Princess Bride': Where are they now?
Cary Elwes and Robin Wright starred in "The Princess Bride," which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2017. Screenwriter William Goldman adapted his 1973 fantasy-quest novel for the Rob Reiner film. Here's what the cast has been up to in the three decades since the cult favorite's release:
PHOTO:
20th Century Fox
Photos: 'The Princess Bride': Where are they now?
Actor Cary Elwes, who played "The Princess Bride's" chivalrous Westley, granted us our wish of a "Princess Bride" memoir called -- what else? -- "As You Wish." The book chronicles the movie's creation and takes readers behind the scenes of some classic moments. Aside from his work as an author, Elwes is also busy in film and TV, including a stint voicing Dr. Watson on Fox's "Family Guy."
PHOTO:
MGM/Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Photos: 'The Princess Bride': Where are they now?
To play Princess Buttercup in 1987's "The Princess Bride," Robin Wright's acting process "was mostly telling myself, 'Don't be an idiot,' " she jokes to Town and Country magazine. Since then, she's built an award-winning career, including her role on Netflix's "House of Cards."
PHOTO:
MGM/Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Diane Von Furstenberg
Photos: 'The Princess Bride': Where are they now?
Mandy Patinkin has been playing "Homeland's" Saul Berenson to great acclaim since 2011, but he'll always be vengeful swordsman Inigo Montoya to us. (And that word still doesn't mean what you think it means.) Patinkin starred in Zach Braff's 2014 indie comedy, "Wish I Was Here."
PHOTO:
MGM/Jeff Schear/Getty Images for Michigan Avenue Magazine
Photos: 'The Princess Bride': Where are they now?
Chris Sarandon's Prince Humperdinck never stood a chance against Elwes' Westley in the eyes of Princess Buttercup (and his vindictive evil plan didn't help). Luckily, the actor's gotten more love in his acting career since and appeared in a 2011 remake of his 1985 classic, "Fright Night."
PHOTO:
MGM/Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images
Photos: 'The Princess Bride': Where are they now?
Wallace Shawn's such a beloved actor, it's inconceivable to pick a favorite role. But his turn as the evil mastermind with a poor vocabulary, Vizzini, is definitely in our top three.
PHOTO:
MGM/Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images
Photos: 'The Princess Bride': Where are they now?
Christopher Guest is known for his comedic skill, which he showed as Count Tyrone in "The Princess Bride" (as well as cult classics "This Is Spinal Tap" and "Best in Show"). Most recently, he starred on HBO's short-lived comedy "Family Tree."
PHOTO:
Everett Collection/Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Global Green
Photos: 'The Princess Bride': Where are they now?
Since he played the adorable grandson being told the story of "The Princess Bride," Fred Savage has slowly transitioned to doing more work behind the camera. After starring on "The Wonder Years" from 1988 to 1993, Savage has directed TV shows such as "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and "Party Down."
Photos: 'The Princess Bride': Where are they now?
After playing the Albino, English actor Mel Smith mostly appeared on British TV. Before he died in 2013, he appeared in the critically praised BBC drama "Dancing on the Edge."
Photos: 'The Princess Bride': Where are they now?
Billy Crystal's magical sense of humor was put to good use as Miracle Max, who knows a medicine man is only as good as the woman behind him. Crystal has been incredibly prolific since his role in the 1987 movie.
PHOTO:
MGM/Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Photos: 'The Princess Bride': Where are they now?
Carol Kane played Miracle Max's wife, Valerie, and helps him realize that he lost his confidence. But Kane's work extends far beyond "The Princess Bride," including her work in the musical "Wicked" and TV appearances on shows such as "Girls" and "Law and Order: SVU."
PHOTO:
MGM/Jemal Countess/Getty Images
Photos: 'The Princess Bride': Where are they now?
Andre the Giant's day job was as a wrestler, but he was also known as Vizzini's rhyming criminal assistant, Fezzik. Sadly, he passed away six years after starring in the Rob Reiner film.
PHOTO:
Everett Collection
Photos: 'The Princess Bride': Where are they now?
"Columbo" star Peter Falk was the grandfather many "Princess Bride" fans wished they could adopt, because at the very least you would be in for awesome storytelling. The award-winning actor died at age 83 in 2011.
PHOTO:
20th Century-Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection
Photos: 'The Princess Bride': Where are they now?
Prolific British actress Margery Mason was introduced to "Princess Bride" fans as the tart Ancient Booer who sets Princess Buttercup straight on the concept of true love. Before her death at age 100 in January 2014, Mason also appeared in "Love Actually," "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and the live-action "101 Dalmatians."
PHOTO:
Everett Collection
Story highlights
Robin Wright talks about her first feature film role in "Princess Bride"
"I did not act," Wright tells Town and Country magazine in its June issue
She says she was "convinced" she was going to marry co-star Cary Elwes
These days she stars on Netflix's "House of Cards"
(CNN) —
If a young Robin Wright had gotten her wish, she would’ve wed Cary Elwes.
The now 48-year-old actress recalls in the June/July issue of Town and Country magazine that she had a definite crush on her “Princess Bride” co-star as they were working on Rob Reiner’s 1987 film.
“Cary was so good looking,” Wright says. “I was convinced we were going to be married.”
Photos: 'Beverly Hills, 90210': Where are they now?
'Beverly Hills, 90210': Where are they now? —
On August 28, former "Beverly Hills, 90210" star Jason Priestley turns 45. In his years away from the Peach Pit, the actor has appeared in series such as "Tru Calling" and "Call Me Fitz," released a memoir, and recently directed episodes of NBC's new 2014 comedy, "Working the Engels." Here's what the rest of the stars of the show have been up to since their days on the Fox series:
PHOTO:
cbs/Getty Images
Photos: 'Beverly Hills, 90210': Where are they now?
'Beverly Hills, 90210': Where are they now? —
Ian Ziering has appeared in a few TV series and movies since playing Steve Sanders, most notably of late the cult hit "Sharknado" and "Sharknado 2" on SyFy. In 2007, he competed on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," and in 2012, he had a minor role in Adam Sandler's "That's My Boy." When not fighting off sharks on TV, Ziering can sometimes be found working as a Chippendales guest host.
PHOTO:
Fox/Getty Images
Photos: 'Beverly Hills, 90210': Where are they now?
'Beverly Hills, 90210': Where are they now? —
Since playing Kelly Taylor, Jennie Garth has starred alongside Amanda Bynes in "What I Like About You" and appeared in a number of TV movies. After splitting from her husband of 11 years, Peter Facinelli, in 2013, Garth has written a new memoir, "Deep Thoughts From a Hollywood Blonde." In June, she reunited with her "90210" co-star Tori Spelling on ABC Family's "Mystery Girls."
Complete coverage: Where are they now
PHOTO:
Fox/Getty Images
Photos: 'Beverly Hills, 90210': Where are they now?
'Beverly Hills, 90210': Where are they now? —
Tori Spelling has made a name for herself as a reality TV star since her days on "Beverly Hills, 90210." The mom of four has starred on programs such as "Tori & Dean: Storibook Weddings" and "Tori & Dean: Inn Love" with her husband Dean McDermott. As the couple's relationship entered rocky territory in 2014, Spelling elected to film that for TV, too. In June, she joined former co-star Jennie Garth in "Mystery Girls."
PHOTO:
Fox/Getty Images
Photos: 'Beverly Hills, 90210': Where are they now?
'Beverly Hills, 90210': Where are they now? —
Since playing David Silver, Brian Austin Green has had roles on series such as "Smallville," "Desperate Housewives" and "Happy Endings." He's starred in TBS' "Wedding Band" and FX's "Anger Management," and is raising three kids with wife Megan Fox.
PHOTO:
Fox/Getty Images
Photos: 'Beverly Hills, 90210': Where are they now?
'Beverly Hills, 90210': Where are they now? —
Tiffani Thiessen dropped the "Amber" from her name and traded in Valerie Malone for Elizabeth Burke, her character on USA's "White Collar." In 2009, she starred in a Funny or Die video called "Tiffani Thiessen Is Busy." The comedic short was her response to Jimmy Fallon and fans begging for a "Saved by The Bell" reunion. In March, the actress premiered a program on The Cooking Channel called "Dinner at Tiffani's."
PHOTO:
Fox/Getty Images
Photos: 'Beverly Hills, 90210': Where are they now?
'Beverly Hills, 90210': Where are they now? —
Luke Perry has had a resurgence on TV in the past few years, guest-starring on series such as "Body of Proof," "Raising Hope" and "Community." According to his IMDB page, he has a slew of projects in the works, including "Dragon Warriors" and "A Fine Step," and most recently appeared on TNT's "Major Crimes."
PHOTO:
Fox/Getty Images
Photos: 'Beverly Hills, 90210': Where are they now?
'Beverly Hills, 90210': Where are they now? —
In addition to battling the forces of evil on "Charmed," Shannen Doherty has tried her hand at reality TV with a brief stint on "DWTS" in 2010 and her WE show "Shannen Says." She has also reprised her role as Brenda Walsh on eight episodes of The CW's "90210." In 2014, Doherty hit the road with Holly Marie Combs for a Great American Country reality show called "Off the Map with Shannen and Holly."
PHOTO:
Fox/Getty Images
Photos: 'Beverly Hills, 90210': Where are they now?
'Beverly Hills, 90210': Where are they now? —
Joe E. Tata guest-starred on a 2001 episode of "Charmed" after "Beverly Hills, 90210" came to an end in 2000. In 2008, he reprised his role as Nat Bussichio on three episodes of the latest installment. In 2014, he joined his former "Beverly Hills, 90210" co-stars, Garth and Spelling, on "Mystery Girls."
PHOTO:
Fox/Getty Images
Photos: 'Beverly Hills, 90210': Where are they now?
'Beverly Hills, 90210': Where are they now? —
Post Andrea Zuckerman, Gabrielle Carteris hosted the short-lived talk show "Gabrielle." She's since appeared on episodes of "Criminal Minds," "The Event" and "Longmire." She's also a respected leader in the SAG-AFTRA union.
PHOTO:
Fox/Getty Images
Photos: 'Saved by the Bell': Where are they now?
In 2014, "Saved By the Bell" celebrated its 25th anniversary, having debuted on NBC on August 20, 1989, after it was rebooted from a failed Disney series titled "Good Morning, Miss Bliss." It was the subject of the Lifetime movie "The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story," which aired September 1, 2014.
PHOTO:
Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
Photos: 'Saved by the Bell': Where are they now?
Tiffani Thiessen —
After Kelly Kapowski and Zack tied the knot in 1994, Tiffani Thiessen dropped the "Amber" from her name and went on to appear in "Beverly Hills, 90210," "Fastlane" and "White Collar." She did a Funny or Die sketch poking fun about why she doesn't have time for a "Saved by the Bell" reunion.
PHOTO:
Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank/Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Splendid
Photos: 'Saved by the Bell': Where are they now?
Mark-Paul Gosselaar —
After reprising his role as Zack Morris on "Saved by the Bell: The College Years" and "Wedding in Las Vegas," Mark-Paul Gosselaar appeared in "NYPD Blue" and "Raising the Bar." In 2009, he appeared on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" as Zack. He has starred on "Franklin & Bash" and appeared in the series "Don't Trust the B**** in Apartment 23."
PHOTO:
Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank/Jason Kempin/Getty Images
Photos: 'Saved by the Bell': Where are they now?
Elizabeth Berkley —
We'll never forget the time Jessie Spano turned to caffeine pills to keep up with her schoolwork and extracurricular activities during Season 2. After playing the Bayside overachiever, Elizabeth Berkley appeared in "Showgirls," "Any Given Sunday" and Broadway's "Sly Fox." Her 2011 book "Ask Elizabeth" is touted as a "guide to teen life."
PHOTO:
Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank/Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Photos: 'Saved by the Bell': Where are they now?
Mario Lopez —
After playing A.C. Slater, Mario Lopez appeared in "Pacific Blue" "The Bold and the Beautiful" and "Nip/Tuck." He competed on Season 3 of "Dancing with the Stars" and has hosted "America's Best Dance Crew," "Extra" and "The X Factor."
PHOTO:
Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank/Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Photos: 'Saved by the Bell': Where are they now?
Dustin Diamond —
Dustin Diamond played Samuel "Screech" Powers for more than a decade. After starring on "Saved by the Bell: The New Class," Diamond appeared on reality shows like "Celebrity Fit Club" and "Celebrity Boxing 2." The stand-up comedian directed and starred in a 2006 sex tape, "Screeched," and released a book, "Behind the Bell," in 2009. In 2015 he was sentenced to 4 months in jail for an altercation at a Wisconsin bar where a man was stabbed.
PHOTO:
Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank/Taylor Hill/Getty Images
Photos: 'Saved by the Bell': Where are they now?
Lark Voorhies —
Lark Voorhies, who played Lisa Turtle, has said she was keeping busy with her new company, Yo Soy Productions. Her mom, Tricia, told People that the former child star has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. However, the "How High" actress insists she's just fine.
PHOTO:
Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank/David Livingston/Getty Images
Photos: 'Saved by the Bell': Where are they now?
Dennis Haskins —
After playing Principal Belding on "Saved by the Bell: The New Class," Dennis Haskins appeared in several series and TV movies. He most recently showed up on an episode of "Mad Men" as Phil Beachum, and on "New Girl" as a lecherous Santa Claus lookalike. He released "Karaoke With Your Favorite Principal Dennis" in 2009.
PHOTO:
Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank/Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
'Boy Meets World': Where are they now? —
Disney's brought back "Boy Meets World" stars Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel for a spinoff series called "Girl Meets World." The new show, which features Savage and Fishel as parents with a precocious daughter of their own, debuted on June 27. Here's what the "Boy Meets World" cast was up to prior to "Girl Meets World's" premiere:
PHOTO:
Disney Channel
'Boy Meets World': Where are they now? —
Ben Savage played mischievous Cory Matthews from 1993 to 2000. The now 33-year-old has continued to act in movies, such as 2007's "Palo Alto, CA," and on TV with appearances in shows like "Without a Trace," "Bones," "Chuck" and "Shake It Up!" In 2014, he'll reprise his fan favorite role of Cory Matthews.
Matthew Lawrence played Shawn's half brother and Eric's roommate, Jack Hunter, from 1997 to 2000. Lawrence has continued to act since then and appeared in several TV shows including playing Tony Longo in his older brother Joey Lawrence's series "Melissa & Joey."
PHOTO:
James Sorensen/ABC/Eric McCandless/ABC Family/Getty Images
'Boy Meets World': Where are they now? —
After the series ended, Rider Strong continued acting, but also moved behind the camera. The 33-year-old has written and directed short projects along with his brother, Shiloh. He will reprise his role of lovable bad boy Shawn Hunter, but in the meantime, Strong is celebrating a new marriage.
Danielle Fishel came to fame playing '90s dream girl Topanga Lawrence. Fishel tried her hand at film with movies like "National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze" after the series ended, but she's now set to play the married-with-kids version of Topanga on 2014's "Girl Meets World." The 32-year-old also made it a point to go back to school, and she graduated from college in December 2012. That following October, Fishel married Tim Belusko, whom she met while in school.
Will Friedle played Cory Matthews' older brother, Eric. Once the show ended, Friedle, now 37, kept up a career on the small screen, and has done voice work on "Batman Beyond," "Kim Possible" and "Thundercats."
Lee Norris played the very smart and very geeky Stuart Minkus, one of Cory's classmates. He later found fame as Marvin "Mouth" McFadden on the TV drama "One Tree Hill" and will reprise his role as Minkus on "Girl Meets World."
PHOTO:
Bob D'Amico/ABC/Tiffany Rose/WireImage/Getty Images
'Boy Meets World': Where are they now? —
William Daniels starred as George Feeny who morphed from teacher to principal and mentor for Cory. Daniels starred as Dr. Craig Thomas on the hit ABC show "Grey's Anatomy" in 2012 and once again takes on the role of Feeny in "Girl Meets World."
PHOTO:
ABC Photo Archive/ABC
'Boy Meets World': Where are they now? —
Anthony Tyler Quinn appeared as high school teacher Jonathan Turner from 1994 to 1997. He has since gone on to appear in TV shows and movies like "No Greater Love" and in 2014 will appear in the dramatic film "Greyscale."
Lindsay Ridgeway played Morgan Matthews from 1996 to 2000. After that role ended, Ridgeway continued to act, picking up quite a few parts doing voice work in animated series like "Sonic the Hedgehog" and "Totally Spies!"
William Russ starred as Cory and Eric's father Alan Matthews, a role he reprises in the new show. He has worked steadily on shows like "NCIS" and "90210."
Betsy Randle played Cory and Eric's mother, Amy Matthews. She appeared in several episodes of "Charmed" as Mrs. Winterbourne and reprises the role of Mrs. Matthews on "Girl Meets World."
PHOTO:
Touchstone TelevisionEverett Collection/John M. Heller/Getty Image/
At the very least, she got to have an on-screen happy ending with the actor in the cult favorite film, which tells the story of Princess Buttercup’s longing to reunite with her true love, Elwes’ “As you wish” Westley.
“It was my first film experience, and so you might say that I fully immersed myself in the role,” Wright tells Town and Country. “I did not act. It was mostly telling myself, ‘Don’t be an idiot in front of Mandy Patinkin and Christopher Guest.’ “
Wright’s come a long way since her days playing princess, and she now co-stars with Kevin Spacey in Netflix’s praised “House of Cards.” Although fans – and critics – love her as the calculating wife of Spacey’s politician, Frank Underwood, Wright has begun to enjoy working behind the camera more. In the second season of “House of Cards,” she makes her directorial debut in the 10th episode.
“I’ve been in this business almost 30 years, and I’m such a control freak. You’re sitting around knowing how a scene should be blocked or the direction an actor should be given, and biting your tongue,” Wright tells the magazine. “I loved being in the driver’s seat. I honestly don’t want to act anymore.”
Part of that ambivalence might have something to do with the roles she’s been offered; if the main duty was just to stand and be pretty, Wright says she’s had no problem passing them up.
“Hollywood is difficult to navigate if you have integrity, so I opted not to work if there wasn’t enough to do in a role, which doesn’t have to do with the role’s size,” she says. “If there’s nothing for me to do as an actress, that’s frustrating. … I’d rather go work at a menial labor job, where I can actually get my hands dirty.”
It’s a good thing portraying “House of Cards’” Claire Underwood involves plenty of dirty work.