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Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz and Cary Elwes in Twitter spat over 'Princess Bride.' Again.

Maria Puente
USA TODAY

And now, for the odd-fellows Twitter smackdown of the day, we give you Ted Cruz and Cary Elwes.

Yes, you read that right: The Texas Republican U.S. senator and the British star of the beloved 1987 film "The Princess Bride" are trading metaphorical tweet slaps. 

The senator, 50, has acknowledged the sublimely ridiculous film is his personal favorite; he has been known to recite whole scenes by heart.

But he wasn't feeling the love Wednesday from The Man in Black after Elwes, who played Westley in Rob Reiner's fairytale fluff, sent out a scathing tweet earlier in the day addressing Cruz.

Cary Elwes attends Netflix's "Stranger Things 3" premiere in Santa Monica on June 28, 2019.

"@tedcruz How does it feel to know that not only the entire cast and crew of your favorite movie The Princess Bride, but almost the whole entertainment industry, have nothing but rabid contempt for you? #inconceivable? I think not, you miserable ROUS," the tweet read.

Reminder: ROUS is an acronym Rodents of Unusual Size, creatures Westley does not believe exist until he is pounced on by one.

Cruz responded with a tweet of his own, featuring a personally autographed picture of Elwes in his all-black Westley costume, complete with eye mask and rapier. 

"@Cary_Elwes Does this mean you want your picture back?," Cruz asked.

Elwes, 58, sent his tweet in response to Cruz saying in an interview posted on Twitter that he scorned "the left" and its influence on the movies and movie characters, specifically Thanos, "The Avengers" and "Watchmen."

"Have you noticed in how many movies how often rabid environmentalists are the bad guys? Whether it's Thanos or go to 'Watchmen.' The view of the Left is people are a disease and everything would be better if people were eliminated," Cruz said.

This "Bride"-like daffy duel goes back to September when several "Bride" cast members, including Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Billy Crystal and others, reunited for a livestreamed script reading and question-and-answer session moderated by Patton Oswalt in Wisconsin. The event raised $4.3 million for Joe Biden's presidential campaign in the battleground state.  

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Jan. 27, 2021 in Washington, DC.

"Inconceivable!" Elwes posted on Twitter, announcing the event.

Cruz was not happy. On Twitter, in a tweet stuffed with "Bride" quotes, Cruz said he was suffering for every "Princess Bride" fan who wants to keep the movie apart from "Hollywood politics."

“Do you hear that Fezzik? That is the sound of ultimate suffering. My heart made that sound when the six-fingered man killed my father. Every Princess Bride fan who wants to see that perfect movie preserved from Hollywood politics makes it now.”

Nor is this the first time Cruz has jousted with "Bride" cast members. Having memorized chunks of the film while an undergrad at Princeton, Cruz likes to publicly quote Patinkin's character, who repeatedly declares, ominously, in the film: "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." 

In 2015, while Cruz was running for the Republican presidential nomination, Patinkin told The New York Times, "This man is not putting forth ideas that are at the heart of what that movie is all about. I would love for Senator Cruz, and everyone creating fear-mongering and hatred, to consider creating hope, optimism and love."

Robin Wright and Cary Elwes in a scene from the 1987 film "The Princess Bride."
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