To 'Princess Bride' fans, Elwes says, 'As You Wish'

Carly Mallenbaum | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Cary Elwes shows off 'As You Wish' book At New York Comic Con, Cary Elwes shows us that there's a hidden poster in every hardcover copy of his 'Princess Bride' memoir.

NEW YORK — "You want me to say it?" Cary Elwes sheepishly asked 500 Comic Con attendees at New York's Javits Center Sunday.

Of course they want him to say it. They've been waiting in line just to hear him say it. Their thumbs hover over the record buttons on their cellphones.

"As you wish," he says into the microphone for what has to be the hundred-thousandth time. The crowd cheers.

You might assume Elwes, 51, best known as the dashing young Westley from 1987's cult-classic fantasy film The Princess Bride, is sick of saying those three memorable words from the film that made him famous. However, 27 years later, with a steady stream of film work, he likes the phrase enough to use it as the title of his new memoir: As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales From the Making of The Princess Bride.

"I call it the gift that keeps on giving, this film," he says in the green room before the panel about his new book, out Tuesday. "I meet people who have 'as you wish' tattooed on their bodies. It never ceases to amaze me just how passionate the fans are about this movie."

The book is the long answer to a question Elwes was asked two years ago on stage at the Lincoln Center for The Princess Bride's 25th anniversary: "What was your fondest memory of making the film?"

"I just felt like there wasn't enough time" to answer that accurately, he says. The question inspired him to hook up with a writer, Joe Layden, and put all of his memories in a book that includes comments from co-stars Billy Crystal (Miracle Max), Fred Savage (the grandson, who he never actually shared scenes with), Robin Wright (Buttercup), Chris Sarandon (Prince Humperdink), Mandy Patinkin (Inigo Montoya), Wallace Shawn (Vizzini) and director Rob Reiner, who also contributes a foreword.

But the best way to hear Elwes' tales from the Princess Bride set is to listen to him tell the stories. He lights up, quickly segueing from the booming voice of André the Giant (the actor who plays Fezzik, who died in 1993) to the higher, Irish-sounding voice of a nurse. At least that's how he tells the story about breaking his toe on André's ATV, which happened early on in shooting. Elwes remembers he was terrified Reiner would fire him. Of course, he kept his job, but had to learn swordfighting without moving his foot.

There's the story about meeting Robin Wright for the first time, and falling in love with her; the memory of using an impression of Fat Albert to help him score the role of Westley; the tale about Patinkin misleading Elwes about the amount of sword training he had; the times Shawn was terrified he'd be replaced by Danny DeVito; the lines that Crystal hilariously improvised, and more. It's all in "the definitive book about the making of the film," he says.

"Fans always ask me: 'Was it as much fun to make as it looked like?' and I always say 'It was more fun.' I wanted to share with them how much fun it really was."