“Anybody want a peanut?”

One of my favorite movies of all time is The Princess Bride.  I was four when the movie was released, and I have no idea how old I actually was the first time I saw the it, but I know I was probably pretty young as I honestly can’t remember a time before this movie existed to me. This movie is the perfect action-adventure-fairy tale that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

Given my love the the movie, it probably goes without saying that one of my highlights from New York Comic Con was getting to meet the Man in Black himself, Cary Elwes. I’ve probably had a crush on Westley for almost as long as I’ve loved the movie, so when I heard about the book coming out I knew I had to read it. Then I learned Elwes would be signing his book at NYCC and that became one of my goals. I had a short window of time Sunday morning while he was signing before I had to be at the Sleepy Hollow press round table, so I hurried to the autograph room, purchased a copy of As You Wish, and settled into line.

Waiting in line was a fun experience. The girls in front of me were big fans as well and we chatted quite a bit. Behind me were Sam and Dean Winchester cosplayers who were nice as well. Then, to the left of the signing line was Jason David Frank‘s line, and he liked to keep all the fans entertained while they waited in line. Plus, if you got bored you could always start reading the book. Time passed quickly and soon enough I was standing in front of Westley getting my book signed.

I honestly can’t remember what I said to him as he was signing my book. I might have mentioned that I have been a fan my entire life, and possibly said something about how much I enjoyed his character on Psych, but I really can’t remember. I think I was more starstruck by him than anyone else I met that weekend. Later that afternoon I attended his panel session and heard him tell some of the anecdotes he had written about in the book, and he even did a live commentary for a couple clips from the movie. He should sell videos of himself just telling all the stories from the book, because he is such a funny guy; I could have sat there and listened to him all day.

Fast forward to this past week and I just finally got a chance to sit down and read the book. As I expected I absolutely loved it. Elwes shares his experiences with the film starting from being a fan of the book by William Goldman, to being cast, all the way up through the cast’s 25 year anniversary gathering. But not only is this book Elwes’ recollections, but there are comments from many other members of the cast and crew who worked on the film. I learned a lot about my favorite movie from reading this book, and now can’t wait to watch it again and possibly love it even more.

If you’re a fan of The Princess Bride then I highly recommend reading this book. It’s not a long book, and it’s a fairly quick read, but you’ll enjoy every minute of it. So go find a copy and have fun storming the castle!