Mandy Patinkin uses his words like a blade.
On Wednesday the Emmy winner joined a picket line Outside The Warner Bros. Discovery offices in New York amid the widely publicized strike among television and film writers. Patinkin wore A “Prince Bride” inspired sign that reads “You Killed Residuals Prepare To Pay!”
The sign was a nod to him Character Inigo Montoya’s most famous line from the 1987 classic: “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. you killed my father Prepare to die.”
Patinkin also had no problem reading his poster exactly as Montoya – a Spanish fencer and henchman turned Unlikely Hero – would have read it.
And it’s so funny that it will probably desert you mostly dead with laughter:
In the meantime, a separate video showed the “Homeland” star passionately scolding Hollywood greats.
“Don’t be stupid!” Patinkin yells, apparently addressing someone off frame. (Under the circumstances it was (Hopefully a studio manager.) “Make sure you take care of the people! Y’all are making millions and millions of dollars for goodness sake! Without the authors we have nothing! They create the stories that make our hearts beat faster! Help now!”
Needless to say, Twitter users appreciated the anger-laced atmosphere.
Last week, 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America, West and East, strike after studio heads failed to agree to their proposals fairer payment in the streaming age, protective measures related to the increasing use of artificial intelligence and other important issues. (HuffPost’s unionized employees are also WGAE members.)
The protests paralyzed production on projects currently being filmed, including the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ series Severance and Netflix’s Stranger Things.
Patinkin is far from the only famous actor campaigning for strikers. Bob Odenkirk Also joined a New York picket on Wednesday and oodles other celebrity — such as Jennifer Coolidge, Amanda Seyfried, Rob Lowe, Edie Falco, Jimmy Fallon and Quinta Brunson — have also shown their support.
“Writers need to be able to pay their bills and live a decent life,” Odenkirk said called during the demonstration this week.
“We’re nothing without our writers,” Patinkin interjected. “And ‘artificial intelligence’ is another word for ‘nonsense’.”