Cary Elwes | Club Random with Bill Maher

Feb 16, 2026

Cary Elwes, actor and author known for The Princess Bride and Robin Hood: Men in Tights, shares career anecdotes and stage-training stories. He recounts an Al Pacino turning point, debates acting styles and Kubrick’s films, and riffs on Hollywood’s gun fetish, Scarface’s legacy, and on-set oddities like trailers and fast shoots.

01:32:15

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INSIGHT

Shoot Fast To Preserve Performance

Elwes prefers directors who move quickly because long waits let actors overthink scenes.
Fast-paced shoots reduce trailer time and keep performances immediate and fresh.

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ADVICE

Choose Projects With Momentum

Favor productions with tight schedules to prevent overthinking and maintain momentum.
Elwes says limited days force commitment and produce more honest performances.

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ANECDOTE

John Wayne's Oily Trailer

Cary Elwes stayed in John Wayne's trailer while filming in Dublin and found oil dripping from the ceiling.
He turned the dilapidated space into a memorable character trailer experience on set.

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Getting Comfortable and Hair Jokes

02:20 • 3min

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Early Career and Moving to America

05:04 • 2min

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Al Pacino's 'Work the Muscle' Moment

Training, Method Acting, and Olivier vs. Brando

25:23 • 3min

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Theater Life, Rehearsal and Close-Ups

28:26 • 2min

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Working with Directors and Fast Shoots

30:30 • 8min

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Celebrity Influence and Spirituality

38:12 • 3min

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Atheism, Prayer, and Purgatory Jokes

41:04 • 5min

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Magic, Coincidences, and Mental Channels

45:55 • 3min

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On-Set Trailers and Film Anecdotes

49:20 • 5min

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Dead Man's Wire and Modern Resonance

54:01 • 3min

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Al Pacino's Ongoing Influence

57:22 • 3min

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Scarface, Miami, and Cultural Impact

01:00:14 • 11min

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Action Franchises and Violence in Film

01:11:31 • 4min

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Kubrick: Genius, Controversy, and 2001

01:15:40 • 9min

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Favorite Films, Directors, and Filmgoing

01:24:35 • 5min

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History, Education, and Shared Interests

01:30:02 • 4min

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Mel Gibson, Braveheart, and Filmmaking Praise

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Bill Maher sits down with actor Cary Elwes for a freewheeling conversation that starts with hair jokes and quickly becomes a masterclass in craft, including the moment Al Pacino changed Cary’s life with a simple “work the muscle” speech. They take on Hollywood’s gun obsession, Olivier vs. Brando, Kubrick’s genius (and excess), whether 2001 is transcendent or a sedative, and why A Clockwork Orange still ignites debate decades later. Along the way: Braveheart, Scarface tattoos, and Catholic guilt. They cancel hell, roast John Wick, and somehow land on the idea of Pacino as God in Purgatory.

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ABOUT CLUB RANDOM

Bill Maher rewrites the rules of podcasting the way he did in television in this series of one on one, hour long conversations with a wide variety of unexpected guests in the undisclosed location called Club Random. There’s a whole big world out there that isn’t about politics and Bill and his guests—from Bill Burr and Jerry Seinfeld to Jordan Peterson, Quentin Tarantino and Neil DeGrasse Tyson—talk about all of it.

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ABOUT BILL MAHER

Bill Maher was the host of “Politically Incorrect” (Comedy Central, ABC) from 1993-2002, and for the last fourteen years on HBO’s “Real Time,” Maher’s combination of unflinching honesty and big laughs have garnered him 40 Emmy nominations. Maher won his first Emmy in 2014 as executive producer for the HBO series, “VICE.” In October of 2008, this same combination was on display in Maher’s uproarious and unprecedented swipe at organized religion, “Religulous.”

Maher has written five bestsellers: “True Story,” “Does Anybody Have a Problem with That? Politically Incorrect’s Greatest Hits,” “When You Ride Alone, You Ride with Bin Laden,” “New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer,” and most recently, “The New New Rules: A Funny Look at How Everybody But Me Has Their Head Up Their Ass.”

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