‘The Princess Bride’ Star Cary Elwes Remembers Late Director Rob Reiner and His Wife Michele Reiner In Touching Tribute: “My Heart Still Aches Every Time I Think of You”
The Princess Bride star Cary Elwes has paid tribute to director Rob Reiner in the wake of his and his wife, Michele Reiner’s deaths. The couple was found dead in their home on Dec. 14
The 63-year-old actor, whose breakout role of Westley was in the 1987 comedy, began his Dec. 29 Instagram tribute to Reiner by noting that “enough time has passed that [he] can finally put [his] grief into words.”
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“I was 24 when I first met Rob Reiner on The Princess Bride,” he shared. “And from that very first meeting I fell in love with him. I was already a fan of his work so meeting him in person was a dream come true.”
Elwes wrote that after spending time with Reiner, he “knew this was someone [he] wanted in [his] life,” and also knew the gravity of the role Reiner cast him in, explaining that “by casting [him] as Westley he was giving [him] the keys to the castle.”
“The first thing I noticed about Rob was that he wore his heart on his sleeve,” he added. “This was a man who felt deeply. Whose heart was filled with love and compassion. He wasn’t impressed by how much money you had or if you had a privileged upbringing. He just wanted to know if you were a ‘good guy.’ He always tried to find the best in people. And if that person had problems he felt bad for them.”
Citing the love Reiner had for his family and friends, as well as for the art of filmmaking, Elwes said that the “brilliant filmmaker” had told him “what he really enjoyed the most was the experience itself.”
“He used to say, ‘Once the movie is released it belongs to other people. But while you are making it, that’s your time on the planet, so you wanna make it good,’” he recalled. “And boy was my time with him on The Princess Bride beyond great. I can’t remember a single day without laughter. The movie is about love, loyalty and sacrifice. Things that Rob held dear. Which is among the many reasons he was the perfect person to direct it.”
Elwes also highlighted Rob and Michele’s love story, as they “met and fell in love” on the set of 1989’s When Harry Met Sally.
“Besides being a gifted photographer she was an incredibly loving, intelligent person,” Elwes wrote of Michele. “Deeply passionate about her family and about lifting others up. To say that they were a great team would be an understatement. Their only interest in fame was that it allowed them to shine a light on causes they believed in, especially helping those who were marginalized. In a town where many talk the talk, they truly walked it.”
He continued, “Whenever we got together we would talk about family, life, movies and politics. But without fail Rob would always find a way to make us laugh. That was important to him. Finding the joy. And if I could make him laugh in return, I felt like I had won the lottery. His laugh was one of the greatest sounds I’ve ever known — so heartfelt it still rings in my ears.”
Elwes concluded his tribute by thanking the late couple “for sharing [their] life and art with us.”
“Because my heart still aches every time I think of you, I know the grief of losing you too soon will likely never go away. Sure, death cannot stop true love but life is pain without you,” he wrote. “With this note my family and I send our deepest condolences and heartfelt prayers to their family, friends and fans.”
Rob and Michele’s 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, was arrested on Dec. 14 and has since been charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances in relation to his parents’ deaths, per CBS News. According to the outlet, Nick’s arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 7.
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