Ted Cruz Quotes ‘Princess Bride’ For Foreign Policy, Original Actor Says He Got It Exactly Wrong

Presidential frontrunner Ted Cruz claims his favorite movie is The Princess Bride, and he has been seen referencing, quoting and re-enacting the film many times to support his political platform. Most recently, Ted Cruz used the movie’s most famous line to endorse his aggressive foreign policy.

“My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

According to Raw Story, Ted Cruz quoted that line to make a point about striking back against nations that have done wrong. Cruz’s plan is to “carpet-bomb the [Middle East] into oblivion” and actively keep Hispanic and Muslim individuals from crossing the border into the United States. This idea appears to primarily be a response to the Paris attacks, an act of terrorism that resulted in the deaths of more than 100 civilians.

You can see Ted Cruz quoting The Princess Bride in the video below.

However, the original actor who played Inigo Montoya, the character dedicated to vengeance, recently did an interview with the New York Times in which he claims Ted Cruz completely missed the change of heart that the character has by the end of the film.

“I would like to be with Senator Cruz for a moment and I would like to respectfully ask him, since he quotes all the lines from ‘The Princess Bride’ and certainly all of my character, Inigo Montoya’s, lines, I would like to know why he doesn’t quote my favorite line?” said actor Mandy Patinkin.

The line he is referring to comes near the end of the film, when Montoya realizes that his quest for revenge has consumed him to the point of nearly ruining his life.

“I have been in the revenge business so long, now that it’s over, I don’t know what to do with the rest of my life.”

Mandy Patinkin essentially accused Ted Cruz of missing the entire point of the Inigo Montoya character arc, taking the moral of the story to mean exactly the opposite of what was intended.

“Senator Cruz, if you’re going to say those lines, you’ve got to say the other line, too,” Patinkin said.

The actor asked Ted Cruz to consider The Princess Bride as a tale of forgiveness and compassion, not one that endorses violent revenge.

But the Princess Bride actor took his criticism of Ted Cruz a step further. Not only did he accuse Cruz of misunderstanding his iconic character, he outwardly rejected the idea of the Senator’s foreign policy.

“This man is not putting forth ideas that are at the heart of what that movie is all about. I would love for Senator Cruz, and everyone creating fear mongering and hatred, to consider creating hope, optimism and love. Open your arms to these people, these refugees trying to get into our country, and open your hearts.”

To see Mandy Patinkin address his problems with Ted Cruz and his foreign policies, watch the interview segment in the video below.

Apparently oblivious to the contradictions between Ted Cruz’s policy and the film, a spokesperson for the campaign said, “Having some fun with a cult classic like ‘The Princess Bride’ should be something we can all get behind, politics aside,” according to Groop Speak.

What do you think about Ted Cruz’s apparent misunderstanding of what The Princess Bride is really about? Do you think Mandy Patinkin is wrong about Inigo Montoya, or did Ted Cruz truly interpret the story to mean the exact opposite of what the writers intended?

For more on Ted Cruz, read about the time he turned against his own party leader.

[Princess Bride still by 20th Century Fox; Ted Cruz photo by Olivier Douliery/Getty Images]