Mandy Patinkin with a Princess Bride sign is the latest picket line hero amid writers strike
Mandy Patinkin went viral on the Writers Guild of America picket line on Wednesday for his perfect sign and impassioned speech
What is it about seeing a celebrity on the picket line that’s so satisfying? Perhaps it’s knowing the stars are aligning themselves with the underdogs, or just the general joy of solidarity that makes the stories, pictures, and videos of those stars on the line so enjoyable. Whatever the case may be, lots of actors are going viral just for showing up and marching the line in support of the Writers Guild of America strike. The latest case, Mandy Patinkin, went the extra mile by tapping into our nostalgia with his sign.
Patinkin showed up for the picket in front of the Warner Bros. Discovery office in New York on Wednesday with his wife Kathryn Grody. “Pay our writers! Meet their demands. The stories we tell are nothing without them,” he wrote on Twitter alongside photos of the couple on the line. Patinkin’s sign, seen in the pictures, references his famous Princess Bride line as Inigo Montoya: “You killed residuals, prepare to pay!” (On the back: “I didn’t even write this sign”!)
Patinkin has often advocated for social and political causes throughout his career and, of late, on social media. Unsurprisingly, he’s been vocal about the strike—or, more accurately, the opposite of vocal, as he posted a video of himself standing in awkward silence with the caption: “This is what I would be doing on TV without writers. Writers are asking for fairness: when the studios invest millions into producing a film or series, they can pay for the value writers create.”
Needless to say, the Homeland alum was a lot louder on the picket line (mostly out of necessity, since there was a band playing live music in the background). In a video presumably addressing the AMPTP (the organization which bargains on behalf of the studios, Patinkin shouts, “Don’t be stupid! Make sure you take care of people! You guys make millions and millions of dollars! For gods sakes! Without the writers, we have nothing! They create the stories that make our hearts beat! Help out now!” Patinkin reposted the clip on his own Twitter with a self-deprecating, “Kind of an intense guy…”.
One final image solidifies Patinkin’s reign as this week’s prince of the picket line. He snapped a photo with another much-beloved performer, Bob Odenkirk. “Saul’s unite!” Patinkin captioned the shot, referencing his character in Homeland and Odenkirk’s character in Better Call Saul. “Support our writers!” Well, if Mandy and Bob say so…!