One of the most under rated, consistent and low- profile heroes in Hollywood is actor Ivan Simon Cary Elwes, better known as Cary Elwes. Elwes rose to prominence in 1986 with his performance in the movie Lady Jane, alongside Helena Bonham Carter in her debut film. His own first major role was in the movie another country, that dealt with the sensitive issue of homosexuality. Lady Jane: A movie set in the Tudor era, it tells the story of Lady Jane Grey, the nine day queen, her brief period of accession as well as the romance with her husband Lord Guilford Dudley. Cary was extremely young in this movie, and despite the obvious youth and therefore inexperience, this being his fourth film, Cary captures the heart with his passion and love as Lord Dudley. The movie, all though a tragedy, conveys a deep sense of eternal love, and Elwes was undoubtedly handsome in the movie.
He was then picked for the Princess Bride, where director Rob Reiner admitted that his appearance as well as the slight British accent was charming and most suitable for the role of the lover Wesley in his film. Cast as Wesley the farm boy and the Dread Pirate Roberts , Cary gained worldwide adulation for his roguish veneer, his quick wit, and his incredible skills in fencing. The movie itself has been rated in many lists as one of the top 25 Adventure/Romance/Comedy movie. The chemistry between Elwes and actress Robin Wright is equally alluring, making this couple one of the most popular fairytale lovers. I'd say, Princess Bride was when Elwes's acting peaked, because there were absolutely zilch flaws in his acting skills at this point of time.
Robin Hood: From the years 1987 to 1992, Elwes mostly starred in movies of a more serious and intense nature such as the War movie- Glory, Days of Thunder (Alongside Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman), Hot shots! (with Charlie Sheen) and Bram Stoker's Dracula (with Gary Oldman and Anthony Hopkins). But his most beloved role was in the spoof Robin Hood: Men in tights, a more hilarious take on the legendary Robin Hood. All though upon its release the movie did not garner much attention, it later developed a loyal fandom, especially due to the comical set up, the punch lines and Cary's spontaneous portrayal of Robin Hood.
The Crush: This movie introduced 15 year old Alicia Silverstone, who plays the role of Adrian Forrester, a teenager who tends to develop intense crushes on men that embody the role of older or more understanding guides. Cary played the role of Nick Elliot, a very cute journalist who moves into the Forrester guest house, and is constantly dogged by Adrian, until he realizes that she has a crush on him. Cary played the typical hardworking, industrious journalist with a flair for research and interviewing but not much in writing. The movie was an A-Grade Sexual Thriller, and despite flirting with a 14 year old, Cary manages to convince the audience that he was mostly innocent, and does everything to put off Adrian, until he has to finally punch her.
Apart from the movies mentioned above, Cary has mostly stuck to roles that were integral to the film and yet not the protagonist's part- such as Liar Liar, The Cat's Meow, Cradle will rock, Wish you were dead, the Informant, Elle Enchanted, Georgia Rule, and in a truly heinous role in- Kiss the Girls.
Most of these movies you may have seen, but Cary's acting is such, that he sticks completely to his own territory, without overshadowing the other characters. In fact, in some of the movies I've seen, I remember seeing Cary once in a while, because of his indisputably good looks , without really singling out the fact that it was him. In that manner, Cary Elwes is a true actor, accomplished in comical and romantic roles as well as villainous roles such as in the movie Twister.
Just to be sure that I wasn't the only who'd just fallen for him, I trended #CaryElwes on my twitter profile and then logged in a search for others who'd done the same, to my surprise I found thousands of fans, talking about all of his movies, discussing his most popular roles, and challenging each other to movie marathons that I later joined. Most of the fans agree, that Cary was remarkably attractive in his youth, though as he grew older his more conventional fan following dwindled. On the other hand, I was gratified to know that so many people ranging from different age groups, were still avid fans.
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