Get your Kleenex ready, because this one's a tearjerker.
For years now, social media users have discussed Mandy Patinkin's role as Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride. His now-iconic character was a mustachioed man hellbent on avenging his father's death. In the movie, he eventually comes face to face with the murderer (Christopher Guest) and challenges the man to a duel. But as he prepares to deal the final blow, the man pleads for his life, offering him anything he wants in exchange for mercy. In response, Mandy delivers the line: "I want my father back you son of a bitch."
TikTok user Amanda Webb discussed this scene in a video, explaining how her father's death this past March has changed the way she looks at the character. "I saw on the Internet the rumor that when Mandy Patinkin said that line, he was thinking of his own father who passed away from cancer," she explained through tears, "and it was a very raw emotion."
She continued, "Ever since then, it's kind of really stuck with me... Because it means so much more to me now than it ever did."
Though Amanda was unsure the actor would see her video, she said that if he does see it, she wants to thank him for his performance because "it meant so much to me and my dad."
In response, Mandy and his wife, Kathryn Grody, confirmed that this isn't just a rumor. "It is true—100 percent true," he replied in his TikTok. "I went outside in this castle and walked around... And I kept talking to my dad and I said, 'Dad, I'm going to get this guy.'"
Mandy added that the moment he read the script, he knew he'd play Inigo Montoya, because "in my mind, if I get this six-fingered guy [Count Rugen], that means I kill the cancer that killed my dad."
In a separate Twitter thread, the actor and his wife offered support to any of his followers who are dealing with grief. "My dad died of cancer when I was 18. Kathryn's parents died within a year of each other when she was 25, her dad of a heart attack while her mom was sick with cancer," they shared. "The loss of them has been a huge part of our lives and a huge part of what forged our bond together."
They added, "We are so sorry for your loss, so moved that this movie meant something to you and your dad and so glad you asked this question."
Lastly, Mandy offered to add her father's name to his list of prayers. The Homeland actor explained, "One of my favorite quotes is from the book written by Oscar Hammerstein from the Musical Carousel it's 'As long as there's one person on earth who remembers you, it isn't over.'"