Comicon Celebrities: Cary Elwes
Cary was a blast to listen to for his panel. He shared some hilarious moments with the late Andre the Giant including a 16 second, hypersonic flight that deafened the crew as well as the Adventures of Andre and his ATV and how Cary broke his toe trying it out. Cary has killer impressions of both Andre and director Rob Reiner.
When asked questions, Cary told a story of the late Bill Paxton and how he “Soonerfied” the Elwes family by decking them out in full cowboy gear. When asked about Mel Brooks, he again used a very precise impression to imitate the actor/director. Cary talked about Men In Tights where he had to shoot a bullseye before anyone could go to lunch via Mel’s order. Cary had not received the proper training yet, and special effects were not what they are today. The first shots missed the target completely. Then on attempt 5, Cary actually hit a bullseye. The crew all stood there dumbstruck and silent. Mel yells out “That’s lunch!”
Waiting for Wesley
Of the Comicon celebrities, his was perhaps the longest line we stood in that weekend. You had 30-40 people in line then about 14-16 lines of 20 people against the wall. Thankfully the volunteer was very funny and interactive. The wait was made much more tolerable.
Now some people dismiss the sacrifices actors/creators make because they are here for the money. The entire Princess Bride cast proved this false. While Money is important of course, each actor brought their own traits to their presence.
With most celebrities signing autographs, they sat in front of a long curtains behind roughly 4’ tables. In the case of Cary Elwes, he was behind the curtain wall and in a smaller curtained made room. He stood and greeted people as they entered. He was very polite and tried to talk, but you could tell there was just something timid and withdrawn at the same time.
When I shook his hand, I felt like if I gave him a good ol’ midwestern firm handshake, I would have broken every bone in his hand. While I do not know if or what he suffers from, it felt like he was fighting some sort of anxiety just to be there and around all these fans. He was a great guy to meet.
Thank you for including a picture of my niece and her adventure on the stage with Joonas Suotamo. This was her very first convention and that was the highlight for her. It was all she could talk about that weekend. I think the best part for me was her photo op with him on Sunday. When she reached the front of the line, he said “My Chewbacca!” and gave her a hug. He was such a great guest and my niece will remember meeting her hero.