Rob Reiner’s abrupt no never forgotten

Liam Neeson he is certainly not short, on the contrary, he is taller than average, and yet his height of 1.93 m it wasn’t enough to star in the film The Fantastic Story. The fantasy adventure directed by Rob Reinertaken from the novel The Princess Bride (1973) by William Goldmantells the tale of Bottondoro (Robin Wright), in love with the young man Westley (Cary Elwes), left for dead after leaving at sea. Years later, as she is about to marry the cruel one Principe Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), the girl is kidnapped by three outlaws and chased by a mysterious masked man, who turns out to be Westley himself. Between duels, adventures and pirates, will the two lovers manage to find each other again and have their happy ending?

In July 2025, on the occasion of the theatrical release of the reboot of A Naked GunNeeson released ad Entertainment Weekly a couple interview with the co-star Pamela Anderson. During the chat, the two were asked to confirm or deny some information circulating about them online. The star confirmed that he had auditioned for The Fantastic Storyas can be read on the quiz page of IMDbaccording to which Reiner had “a look of disgust on his face when he realized that Neeson was ‘only’ 6 feet 10 inches tall.” The audition was for the role of giant Fezzikone of the bandits who kidnapped Bottondoro.

It’s very true. Reiner turned to the casting director and said, ‘I asked for a giant! How tall are you?’ ‘1.93 m.’ ‘Ah, come on’. That’s it, no ‘Hi, thanks for coming.’ Nothing like that. It was a little embarrassing for the casting agent, I felt sorry for her, I really did.

Liam Neeson rejected because ‘too short’: who got the role of Fezzik in his place

When he auditioned for The Fantastic Story, Liam had been acting on screen for around nine years. Ultimately, the role of Fezzik went to the professional wrestler André René Roussimoffbetter known as André the Giant. It was one of the few roles on the big screen for the former French champion, who died in 1993, at the age of 46, due to cardiac arrest.

Neeson had already told the story of his brief audition in 2020 as a guest on the show Jimmy Kimmel Live. “I didn’t audition,” he recalled, “but I was living in London and I was asked to meet Rob Reiner, the director, and I was quite nervous, because I knew it was an important film. I walked into the office and Rob Reiner looked at me and said, ‘He’s not a giant! How tall are you?‘. I answered 1.93 m. ‘He’s tall. He’s not a giant!”.

He added at the time that he had decided that sooner or later he would tell Reiner that “he had been very rude” during that meeting, although he later assured that he had long since forgiven him. Whatever the star’s real feelings are Takena comparison between the two, unfortunately, will never take place. On December 14, the director of Harry, ti presento Sally and his wife, the photographer Michele Singer Reinerwere found lifeless in their home in Brentwood, Los Angeles. The son Nick he was arrested later the same day and thereafter accused of murder first degree.