Liam Neeson Missed Out On 'Princess Bride' Because He Was Too Short

Yes, we live in a world where 6’4” (1.93m) Liam Neeson was once deemed too short to star in the beloved ‘80s fantasy film about a Grandpa reading a book. Neeson was tall enough initially, though, as he was brought in by casting directors to give it a whirl with the ol’ audition process— only to be rejected right off the bat. Ouch.

It does make the mind glitch for a second, but it also makes at least some sense when you learn that mister Suddenly Action Hero was up for the part of Fezzik — the part that eventually went to André the Giant.

Given that André stood over seven feet tall … yeah, sure. Hard to keep up with that. Neeson was too short, we guess. It feels so wrong saying it sincerely, but here we are. 

"I was quite nervous because I knew this was a big film and stuff. I had met the casting directors in L.A. So I go into the office in London, and Rob Reiner looked at me and said 'He's not a giant. What height are you?' I said 'Six foot four.' He said, 'That's tall, he's not a giant. So there was no 'hello, thank you.' So I thought, the next time I see Rob Reiner, I'm going to tell him he was very rude."

Well, uh … at least Neeson got some solid confirmation from one Rob Reiner that he wasn’t, in fact, a giant. Hey, maybe the guy didn’t know! Who are we to speculate? Anyway, Neeson did say he instantly forgave Reiner for the whole embarrassing thing after Reiner made This Is Spinal Tap. We, on the other hand, would forever have sleepless nights imagining Neeson act a total buffoon during this specific scene:

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Top Image: 20th Century Fox