Standing at 7-foot-4 and weighing in at more than 500 pounds, professional wrestler-turned-actor Andre the Giant had one hefty appetite. But even more impressive was his seemingly unquenchable thirst, which is the stuff of legend.
Earlier this week, Cary Elwes — Andre’s costar in the classic flick “The Princess Bride” — opened up with the Daily Beast about the giant’s excessive (for most humans) drinking and just how much he could stomach. According to Elwes, when it came time for him to undergo surgery, Andre even opted for alcohol instead of anesthesia.
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“He was due to have an operation right after the shoot, and his doctor didn’t know what kind of pain medication to give him because of his size, so the only way that he could deal with the pain was to drink alcohol,” Elwes told The Daily Beast. “It didn’t affect him at all. He didn’t flub a line or miss a day. The guy could handle his liquor, let me tell ya.”
Related: 10 Crazy Facts You Didn’t Know About Andre The Giant
Elwes (who has a new book out about the making of “The Princess Bride”) starred as the hero Westley in the beloved 1987 film, which costarred Andre as “Fezzik,” the hulking behemoth with a heart of gold. According to Elwes, it was damn near impossible to keep up with Andre’s imbibing, which was a staple of his image until his death in 1993.
Stories of Andre’s drinking have been passed on like magical tall tales from the people who got to witness his talents firsthand. For instance, some of Andre’s friends claim he once consumed a whopping 156 beers in a single night:
(But he didn’t stick his pals with the massive bills — according to another legend, he even carried Arnold Schwarzenegger away from the bar when the “Terminator” star tried to pay.)
Elwes, who says that Andre “could consume 100 beers in one sitting,” adds that beer wasn’t even Andre’s favorite drink. The giant apparently preferred a mixture dubbed “The American,” which consisted of 40 different types of liquor in a big pitcher. “I’ve never tasted airplane fuel, but I imagine it’s very close to what that must taste like,” Elwes explained. “But to him, it was like chugging water.”
Warning: Don’t try that at home. And know your limit, whatever size you are! We can only imagine how Andre felt after a night out guzzling that kind of concoction, but hopefully it involved dreams of large women…
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