Seasoned actor Cary Elwes has recalled the moment that comedy legend Mel Brooks called him up to cast him in Robin Hood: Men In Tights, revealing he thought it was a prank. Born in England, the 59-year-old famously starred in 1987’s cult-classic comedy The Princess Bride. Having shown his dramatic side later on in 1989’s Glory and Francis Ford Copolla’s version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Elwes returned to his comedy roots when he starred as Robin Hood in Brooks’ 1993 comedy spoof-tacular.
Robin Hood: Men in Tights took the popular myth of the heroic archer and turned it on its head in true Brooks style, purposefully parodying the 1991 hit film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which had starred Kevin Costner and Alan Rickman two years earlier. Elwes starred as Robin in an all-star comedy troupe featuring Richard Lewis, Mark Blankfield, and even a young Dave Chappelle as Ahchoo. Brooks’ film was a modest success and considered one of the director’s best alongside Spaceballs and Young Frankenstein.
Now, in an interview with THR, Elwes has recalled the moment he first got the call from the famous director, saying it was “out of the blue.” The actor reveals he “thought it was someone doing a great Mel Brooks impression” and that he hung up on the Hollywood legend. Elwes recalls thinking he was being pranked by a friend, particularly the impression-maestro Jim Carrey. A determined Brooks apparently rang back in a hurry and told the actor, “I want you for Robin Hood. We’ll cast the film together.” Elwes also details how he and Brooks helped find and cast a young Chappelle for his role when the comedian was much lesser-known. Despite supposedly testing “a lot of actors”, the star says it was “a no-brainer” when casting the stand-up comic. Read Elwes’ full interview quote below:
“Mel is wonderful. He called me up out of the blue, and I thought someone was putting me on. I thought it was someone doing a great Mel Books impression. And he said, “This is Mel Brooks.” I said, “Uh-huh. Sure.” And I hung up on him. I thought it was Jim Carrey messing with me. (Laughs.) And then when he called back, he said, “Don’t hang up! It’s really me! I want you for Robin Hood. We’ll cast the film together.” That was very generous. So we found Dave together. We tested a lot of actors, but it was a no-brainer when Dave came in. He was already improvising in the audition and we gave him the job right then and there.”
Years on from Men In Tights’ satirical spoof-work, Elwes has been in several huge projects in Hollywood and has just wrapped filming on Mission: Impossible 7, where he will star opposite legendary lead Tom Cruise in a new action-based role. Elwes has also recently said “Never say never” to the idea of returning to his part in the horror franchise Saw, where he played the tormented Dr. Gordon. Meanwhile, Brooks, now 95 years of age, is returning to write the sequel to his film History Of The World Part I. 40 years after the original film hit theaters, a miniseries follow up History of The World Part 2 is coming straight to streaming on Hulu at some point next year.
Elwes’ recollections remind everyone of the spirited and jovial personality of Brooks, and his ability to take things with a smile. With both creatives still very much active in their careers, there may be a chance for the two to cross paths again in the near future. Until then though, Robin Hood: Men In Tights continues to incite belly laughs from audiences just as much as it did when it was first released almost 30 years ago.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter