As he’s gotten older, actor Cary Elwes hasn’t wasted time thinking about what he’s lost. He’d rather contemplate the things he’s gained.
“I don’t focus on the negative,” Elwes, 63, tells AARP in a recent interview. “That’s probably one of the luckiest things I have, is that I don’t dwell on these things. There’s nothing to be gained by dwelling on anything negative, is there?”
Elwes got his first taste of fame in his 20s, when he starred as Westley in 1987’s The Princess Bride, a fantasy-adventure-comedy directed and coproduced by Rob Reiner. He’ll soon be starring in the crime-drama series M.I.A., debuting May 7 on Peacock and May 14 on NBC. “This show grabs you literally from the first scene, and it doesn’t let go,” he says.
In a video call from his home in Los Angeles, Elwes shares how much he cherishes spending time with his family (wife Lisa Marie, 55, whom he’s been married to for nearly 26 years, and daughter Dominique, 19); what he learned from Reiner and Mel Brooks; his new exercise routine; and why he thinks The Princess Bride is so beloved.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Why do you think The Princess Bride is constantly being discovered by new generations?
It’s obviously a very sweet movie filled with love and compassion. It’s really a film about that: love, loyalty, sacrifice. These are themes that resonated with both Bill Goldman, the author, and Rob Reiner, which is what made him — one of the many reasons — perfect to direct it. Those themes resonate with people. They always will.
Elwes starred with Robin Wright in “The Princess Bride” in 1987. The film still resonates with many today. It’s “filled with love and compassion,” he says.
20th Century Fox/Courtesy Everett Collection
What do you think is the key to longevity for an actor?
I’ve been very lucky. I look at it as a real blessing. I’ve gotten to work with remarkable artists throughout my life, and they’ve all been lessons. Every piece of work you do is an education. It’s an education in prep research. It’s an education in working with other people, in character development and learning from every department. And I mean every department. So for me, it’s like going to school. It’s the greatest school.
What did you learn from your new series, M.I.A.?
I learned that I fell more and more in love with Bill Dubuque [M.I.A.’s creator/writer/executive producer] as a creative artist than I thought I would. He’s just remarkable. My wife and I, we binged Ozark [the Netflix series Dubuque cocreated] the day it came out. When I got the call that he wanted me to be in this show, I was elated.