Quoting The Princess Bride, Patinkin called the Reiners’ murders “inconceivable,” getting choked up recalling the moment he learned they had been killed, as well as the director’s goal to “get me to be the best human being I could be.”
Many Patinkin is still in mourning after the loss of Rob Reiner.
Patinkin, who starred as Inigo Montoya in Reiner’s 1987 classic The Princess Bride, was one of the famous faces who paid tribute to the late director on CBS News’ Rob Reiner: Scenes from a Life special on Sunday night. Also participating in the special were Kathy Bates, Annette Bening, Albert Brooks, Michael Douglas, Jerry O’Connell, and Kiefer Sutherland, as the actors all reflected on working on Reiner’s films, as well as their friendships with the director.
Reiner and wife Michele were slain earlier this month in their Brentwood home. Their 32-year-old son Nick Reiner is suspected of killing them, having been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, or even the death penalty.
Patinkin, 73, first got choked up recalling what Reiner told him about the message behind The Princess Bride.
“If I had to convince somebody to watch The Princess Bride, I would say exactly what Rob said to me. When I questioned him, I said, ‘It’s got so many stories in it, how would you explain it to anybody?'” Patinkin began. “He said, ‘It’s very simple. Grandpa comes over to his sick grandson to read him a story that says the most important thing in life is true love.'”
He then recalled seeing the movie for the first time with the rest of the cast, again breaking into tears sharing his initial reaction to the film.
“We’re all sitting there in this screening room, and the film was over and I said, I never dreamed I would get to be in something like this. I didn’t even have time to dream it and he made that dream for me,” shared an emotional Patinkin. “And I don’t go anywhere where some child or adult or grandfather comes up to me and says, say the line.”
That line, of course, is, “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die,” with Patinkin revealing during the special that he still has one of the screen-used swords from the film. Despite all the swashbuckling he did in the movie, the actor said he only got one injury during production — a bruised rib from holding in his laughter while filming with Billy Crystal.
When Harry Met Sally’s Meg Ryan Breaks Silence on Rob Reiner’s Death
View Story
As for his reaction to Reiner’s death? He said one of the most famous quotes from the movie is one that came to mind: “Inconceivable.”
“Inconceivable … I heard this news at about 11 something on Sunday night. I was in bed. I was in shock,” he recalled. “I didn’t sleep at all. I just kept wailing and crying. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to process it. I still don’t know how to process it and I’m not looking for how to process it.”
“Rob worked hard to try to get me to be the best human being I could be,” he added, again getting choked up. “One time he said to me, ‘I just wish you could get out of your own way,’ and I haven’t been able to achieve that to this day, but I won’t quit trying. He cared about my nature. He showed it to me over and over again.”
Though they’re gone, Patikin added that he believes friends and fans can still “connect” with the Reiners.
“I believe that we can connect with Rob and Michele, and every time we’re thinking about this or talking about it or anyone tells a story, he’s here,” he said. “He’s here with you. He will not be forgotten.”
Watch the full special below:
