Ted Cruz Lets Out His Inner Actor With ‘The Princess Bride’

New York Times ^ | November 13, 2015 | Nick Corasaniti

[Isara]

He’s been known to drift into a drawl when quoting Ronald Reagan on the campaign trail and once jokingly auditioned for “The Simpsons.” But Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who once aspired to be an actor, saves his best impressions for his favorite movie, “The Princess Bride.”

In an interview while taping a “Candidate Cafe” segment for radio station WMUR in New Hampshire, Mr. Cruz acted out an entire scene from the movie.

GOP candidate Cruz acts out 'Princess Bride' scene (video)

He did his impressions of both Billy Crystal and Carol Kane, as well as the often impersonated character Inigo Montoya (portrayed in the 1987 film by Mandy Patinkin), while acting out a scene in which he switched from character to character without missing a beat, all from memory.

“That’s why I love that movie,” Mr. Cruz said as he finished to applause.

It wasn’t the first time that “The Princess Bride” made its way into Mr. Cruz’s campaign.

During a campaign event last month at Iowa Central Community College, Mr. Cruz quoted the movie while criticizing media reports on the Affordable Care Act.

“You keep on using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means,” he told the crowd, in the Spanish staccato of Mr. Montoya.

“That’s inconceivable!” a man shouted from the audience, quoting another famous line from the movie.

Mr. Cruz was impressed.

“Now that’s the best line,” he said to the man, before quickly dropping back into Mr. Montoya. “Allo, my name is Inigo Montoya. Prepare to die.”

Ted Cruz Quotes his favorite movie 'The Princess Bride' (video)

The crowd laughed, as did Mr. Cruz.

...

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

That's impressive. Good for Ted showing his human side.

I don't think I laughed once during that movie, though...

[21twelve]

There are comments on the youtube video that are nine hours old (noon on Friday - before the attacks). And I’m guessing that the video was filmed earlier (quite a bit earlier?) and is a promo-cut for the news station.

On Cruz’s twitter site there is a post about the video, and then the following post is about Paris. I’m sure those posts are put out by some twenty-something staffer rather than by Cruz himself.

[lee martell]

This is true. We are still men and women, not DEVO robots.

[napscoordinator]

Thanks for this info. That sounds much better.

[MSF BU]

Been on the site awhile to be a troll. Of course, I’ve been deployed to combat 50+ months as well. How about you?

[submarinerswife]

Save

[SmokingJoe]

Been on the site awhile to be a troll.

Length of membership here has nothing to do with whether you were trolling this thread or not. You WERE trolling. Your post was pretty stupid. You don't even appear to know much about the movies Ronald Reagan was in, yet decided to make the ridiculous assertion that Reagan wouldn't do the acting that Ted Cruz did.

Of course, I’ve been deployed to combat 50+ months as well.

Been deployed 50+ Times and still as retarded as ever.

[huldah1776]

Interesting comment.

“Reagan was promoted to first lieutenant, Jan. 14, 1943, and to captain on July 22 of that year. In addition to filmmaking while in uniform, he served in New York City in 1944 to participate in a war bond drive. He returned to Culver City. His film unit eventually helped to make 300 training and propaganda films and was responsible for 3,000,000 feet of combat footage.”

http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/ronald-reagan-performed-well-in-world-war-ii/

So Reagan was a very good looking actor and they gave him that position with advances. I do not doubt that he would have done well in the infantry or AF but he disappoints in responding to the Beirut attack.

[MSF BU]

Perhaps so...but then again, unlike you, not ‘a little too good’ to serve the nation in uniform. You take the Kasich/Rubio view of service no doubt.

[MSF BU]

Reagan was legally blind and cheated on a vision test to enter the military; I doubt he’d have done real well in active combat, perhaps in the artillery...I don’t know. He did however feel so strongly about serving in the military he cheated to get in (not uncommon by the way among his generation). Compare to the current cast of characters.