Trending badgeTrendingPosted 2 hours agoI Genuinely Can't Watch "The Princess Bride" The Same Way After Learning These 27 FactsThe movie actually saved someone in an avalanche.by Jenna GuillaumeBuzzFeed ContributorFacebookPinterestLink There's no doubt The Princess Bride - directed by the late, great Rob Reiner and written by William Goldman (based on his novel of the same name) - is one of the greatest movies of all time. And the behind-the-scenes is almost as interesting and magical as the movie itself... Act III Communications 1. Rob Reiner's father, Carl Reiner, was the one who gifted him a copy of The Princess Bride by William Goldman, and it soon became his favorite book and Goldman his favorite author. View this photo on Instagram Right of Way Films / Act III Communications / Via Instagram: @undefined 2. After Rob Reiner made his first two movies, This is Spinal Tap and The Sure Thing, he met with an executive who said she wanted him to make whatever he wanted to do. When he told her he wanted to adapt The Princess Bride, she said "anything but that." Ballantine / Via amazon.com Several other directors - including Francois Truffaut, Norman Jewison, and Robert Redford - had attempted to adapt it previously and it never worked out. 3. Norman Lear, the producer of All in the Family which Rob Reiner had acted on, ended up funding the movie (he had also previously funded Reiner's debut This is Spinal Tap). Even still, he had to cut his own and the casts' salaries to fit the modest budget. George Rose / Getty Images 4. Rob Reiner said getting author William Goldman's approval for his vision of the movie was one of the highlights of his career. Peter Jones / Getty Images 5. Rob Reiner watched Cary Elwes in Lady Jane and thought he looked the part for Westley, and when he met him and realized he was also funny, he decided he was perfect. Oaramount 6. Robin Wright was one of the last women the filmmakers saw for Buttercup - she was cast only about a week before filming began. When William Goldman met her, he said, "that's what I wrote." Ron Galella / Getty Images 7. Rob Reiner didn't think Wallace Shawn would be right for the role of Vizzini - he originally wanted Danny DeVito - but Shawn was so funny during the audition he got the part. Act III Communications 8. Wallace Shawn said his performance mostly consisted of directly imitating how Rob Reiner would do the part. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Act III Communications / Via tumblr.com 9. Billy Crystal was Rob Reiner's best friend, and Reiner told him he had to read the book and pick out which character he wanted to play - he chose Miracle Max. Mediapunch / Getty Images 10. Similarly, Rob Reiner sent Mandy Patinkin the script and asked which role he wanted, and he picked Inigo Montoya. Mediapunch / Getty Images 11. William Goldman had Andre the Giant in mind when he created the character of Fezzik, and insisted he play him on screen - Rob Reiner agreed no one else would do. Act II Communications 12. Andre the Giant wasn't a fluent English speaker, so Rob Reiner recorded all his lines on tape and Andre studied it. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Act III Communications / Via tenor.com 13. Filming took place around England, with Haddon Hall being used as the main location for Prince Humperdinck's castle, with some interior shots filmed at Penshurst Palace. Act III Communications 14. During filming, the cast stayed at the same hotel and would often eat and socialize together at either the hotel or the house Rob Reiner had rented. 20th Century Fox / Via youtube.com "It was a real family and we laughed so much," Robin Wright said. 15. Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin researched previous movie sword-fights to help craft their own iconic battle; they then not only memorized their own moves, they also learned each others in order to minimize mistakes. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Act III Communications / Via embed.tumblr.com 16. Cary Elwes had a broken toe for much of filming after injuring it riding an ATV with Andre the Giant. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Act III Communications / Via frolixian.com 17. Christopher Guest kept ruining takes by making sword-clashing noises with his mouth in his fight scenes with Mandy Patinkin. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Act III Communications / Via tenor.com 18. Mandy Patinkin drew heavily on his grief for his own father, who had died when he was 18 years old, when performing Inigo Montoya's grief and desire for vengeance over his father's murder. Patinkin described the experience as "very healing." Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Act III Communications / Via tenor.com 19. Billy Crystal and Carol Kane met up before filming began to go over the book and come up with a backstory for their married-couple characters. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Act III Communications / Via robotmangoreviews.com 20. Billy Crystal's Miracle Max makeup was partly inspired by the appearance of his grandmother and partly by former baseball manag