As a self-described “huge movie buff,” we wonder how it makes Senator Ted Cruz feel knowing that most of Hollywood has “nothing but rabid contempt” for him. Those words came via Twitter from actor Cary Elwes, the star of the 1987 adventure comedy The Princess Bride, Cruz’s favorite film of all time.
Truth is, Ted Cruz has become Hollywood’s Prince Humperdinck.
That’s Cruz’s conundrum. He pretends to be serious when he rails against the “Hollywood elite,” but what he really wants is their approval. It’s the standard narrative where a little boy has a big crush on a little girl, so he pulls her hair at recess because he doesn’t know what else to do. Those celebrities he picks fights with on social media are some of the same ones that keep him entertained when he’s not helping to incite an insurrection.
When Elwes destroyed Cruz with his tweet earlier this month, Cruz didn’t attack back. It’s not because he was taking the high road. He wants Elwes to like him because he likes Elwes. He’s the Man in Black, for Pete’s sake. That’s why instead of returning fire, Cruz tweeted a photo of Elwes’ Princess Bride character that the actor apparently signed.
We’re sure Cruz would say the tweet was supposed to be a subtle jab at Elwes for giving his signature to someone he supposedly despises, but one could argue that it was also a subtle way for him to show Elwes that he’s a huge fan. To be honest, it’s probably both.
The same goes for every other Hollywood star Cruz has tangled with online. When actor Seth Rogen (Knocked Up) roasted Cruz for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, Cruz called him a “rich, angry Hollywood celebrity,” but also made sure to tell Rogen later that his “movies are typically funny. I’m sure you hate that I enjoy them.” It’s a backhanded compliment, sure, but he still admitted to watching and liking them.
When actor Ron Perlman was arguing with Republican Matt Gaetz last summer, Cruz couldn’t help but inject himself into the spat, referring to Perlman as Hellboy, the demonic superhero he played in two movies. How cool it must’ve been for Cruz to get a response from Hellboy, right?
Most recently, Cruz went after actress Daisy Ridley’s Star Wars character when he was trying to defend the firing of Gina Carano from the TV series The Mandalorian. He called Ridley’s Rey an “emotionally tortured Jedi.”
Ridley responded by jabbing Cruz for going on vacation to Cancún last week during a record-breaking freeze in Texas that left millions without power.
“I’m very happy to be an emotionally tortured Jedi–who doesn’t leave their state when it’s having a terrible time,” Ridley told Yahoo Entertainment when she learned about Cruz’s tweet this week.
The bottom line is that Cruz loves Hollywood. He loves watching movies, quoting movies, referencing movies when talking about political topics like net neutrality or the environment or gun rights. And he especially loves when celebrities engage with him online. What movie buff wouldn’t? Still, it’s too bad Cruz has transformed himself into the villain of his own self-absorbed story. He’s somehow single-handedly turned Congress into his personal Pit of Despair.