Cary Elwes is still reeling from the double homicide of his close friends Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, telling NBC’s Today on January 12 that the loss remains “very raw.”
At a Glance
- Rob Reiner, 78, and wife Michele, 70, were found killed in their Brentwood home on December 14
- Son Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested hours later and charged with two counts of murder; he is held without bail
- Elwes and Rob met on 1987’s The Princess Bride and remained close for nearly four decades
- Why it matters: The actor’s first televised comments offer a personal window into a Hollywood family shattered by violence
The actor, 63, described a bond forged on set and deepened over decades of shared dinners, political activism, and family milestones. “We all fell in love with her too,” Elwes said of Michele, whom Rob met while directing When Harry Met Sally… in 1989. “They really welcomed us-myself and my family-into their family.”
Elwes recalled how the couple stood out in Los Angeles for “helping those who were marginalized,” adding, “In a town where many talk the talk, they truly walked it.”
Their final professional collaboration came on 2016’s Being Charlie, the semi-autobiographical drama Nick co-wrote about his addiction battles. Elwes played a father figure in the film, a role that now carries added poignancy.
When news of the killings first surfaced, Elwes posted a wordless tribute on Instagram: a photo of two empty director’s chairs side by side. Two weeks later he returned with a longer eulogy, writing, “Enough time has passed that I can finally put my grief into words.”
On Today he struggled similarly. “It’s hard to put in words, really. I’m still, actually, kind of processing it,” he admitted. “Yeah, it’s very sad, very, very sad, but I cherish their memory and the fun times we had together.”
Elwes stars next in Dead Man’s Wire, Gus Van Sant’s crime drama based on a 1970s Indianapolis hostage crisis. The interview aired as Nick Reiner awaits trial in Los Angeles County Jail.
