was almost unknown as an actor. However, by the time The Princess Bride was finally green-lit, Schwarzenegger was a major film star and the studio could not afford him. Jenkins contacted the World Wrestling Federation to ask about hiring André, but were told that the filming conflicted with a wrestling match in Tokyo that would pay him $5 million. Jenkins auditioned other tall men, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lou Ferrigno and Carel Struycken, but these did not pan out. Liam Neeson also auditioned for the role but he was turned down due to height. Near the end of casting, the World Wrestling Federation told Jenkins that André's match in Tokyo had been cancelled, clearing him to play the role of Fezzik. For his part, André found his participation was a gratifying experience considering that no one stared at him on set during production as a kind of freak, but instead simply treated him as a fellow member of the cast. Filming The film was shot in various locations in England and Ireland in late 1986: Carl Wark, Sheffield, England Burnham Beeches, Buckinghamshire, England Lathkill Dale where it meets Cales Dale (the "Battle of wits" scene) Cave Dale, Castleton, Derbyshire, England Bradley Rocks and Robin Hood's Stride, Birchover, Derbyshire, England Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland (for the Cliffs of Insanity) Haddon Hall, Bakewell, Derbyshire, England Penshurst Place, Kent, England The framing story scenes, the last to be filmed, were shot at Shepperton Studios in Surrey. Reiner rented a house in England near these sites and frequently invited the cast over for meals and light-hearted get-togethers. Many cast members believed this helped to create a sense of "family" that helped to improve their performances for the film. Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin learned to fence (both left- and right-handed) for the film, and performed these scenes themselves, outside of the two somersaults, which were performed by stunt doubles. They were trained by fencing instructors Bob Anderson and stunt arranger Peter Diamond, both of whom had also worked on training the actors in the original Star Wars trilogy. Elwes and Patinkin spent about three weeks prior to filming learning to fence, and spent most of their off-camera free time practicing. Anderson encouraged the two to learn the other's choreography for the fight to help them anticipate the movements and avoid an accident. They also watched many sword fights from previous films to see