The comedian got choked up recalling how he united several stars from Reiner’s movies for the touching “In Memoriam” segment for his “devoted” friend.

Billy Crystal explains why Fred Savage met rest of *Princess Bride *cast for first time at Rob Reiner Oscars tribute

The comedian got choked up recalling how he united several stars from Reiner's movies for the touching "In Memoriam" segment for his "devoted" friend.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and NME.

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April 15, 2026 12:32 p.m. ET

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Fred Savage in 1987's 'The Princess Bride'; Billy Crystal in 'The Princess Bride'. Credit:

- Billy Crystal explained why his *Princess Bride* costar Fred Savage met the rest of the cast for the very first time for the 2026 Oscars tribute to the movie's director, Rob Reiner.

- The comedian revealed that Savage filmed his scenes in Los Angeles, while the rest of the cast shot theirs in London.

- Savage finally met Crystal, Mandy Patinkin, Cary Elwes, Christopher Guest, and Carol Kane for the moving "In Memoriam" segment for the late filmmaker and his wife.

The 2026 Oscars tribute to Rob and Michele Reiner featured 17 actors from the director’s most beloved movies coming together — some for the very first time.

Billy Crystal revealed that Fred Savage, who played a boy listening to his grandpa read him a bedtime story in Reiner's 1987 comedy classic *The Princess Bride*, had never actually met his costars before the telecast's "In Memoriam" segment in March.

The comedian explained that he pitched Oscars host Conan O'Brien the idea of uniting the stars of several of Reiner's films to honor him and wife, Michele, after they died in an apparent homicide in their Los Angeles home in December.

Stars from Rob Reiner's movies take the stage for the 2026 Oscars tribute to the late director.

Kevin Winter/Getty

"I said, 'If I can get the cast of those movies together to walk out with me, that would have made him really smile,'" Crystal recalled on Tuesday's episode of *The Late Show With Stephen Colbert*. "So I got in touch with all of them, [and] the Academy was really great in getting most of them there."

Which is how Savage finally got the chance to hang with his castmates.

"Fred Savage, who played the boy in *The Princess Bride*, had never met anybody, because he shot his scenes with Peter Falk [who played his grandfather] in Los Angeles and we were all in London making *The Princess Bride,*" Crystal said. "So they got to meet for the first time!"

Jamie Lee Curtis tears up discussing her late friends Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner's connection to her family

Corey Feldman reacts to exclusion from Rob Reiner Oscars tribute (exclusive)

A young Fred Savage and Betsey Brantley in 'The Princess Bride'.

Savage finally met *Princess Bride* actors Crystal, Mandy Patinkin, Cary Elwes, Christopher Guest, and Carol Kane as part of the tribute. Other stars from Reiner's films in attendance for the "In Memoriam" were Meg Ryan, Michael McKean, Kathy Bates, Demi Moore, Jerry O'Connell, Wil Wheaton, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Pollak, Annette Bening, John Cusack, and Daphne Zuniga.

"We were able to hold hands and walk out there in tribute with a beautiful picture of Rob and Michele, because they were our closest friends," Crystal recalled.

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The *When Harry Met Sally *star got choked up and had to stop himself while detailing just how much Reiner meant to him, describing his dear pal as "hilarious, devoted, [and] opinionated in the best way" and someone who was always "fighting for our truth, for our country."

The actor continued, "[He had] the greatest comedy taste. We could talk about everything. He was an uncle to my kids … There's so many moments … when something good happens — or 'Isn't that crazy?' — I want to pick up the phone and call him."

Crystal concluded, "It's a profound loss for… I'm just gonna say humanity, because he was the most human person that I ever met."

Rob and Michele's son, Nick Reiner, was arrested in December and charged with two counts of murder in connection to the stabbing deaths of his parents. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in February.

Watch Crystal open up about his friendship with Reiner and the 2026 Oscars tribute to the late filmmaker in the clip above.

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