‘RS Interview: Special Edition’ With Mandy Patinkin

Surprise quarantine star Mandy Patinkin is enjoying a rare moment of solitude in his upstate New York home — his son is with a friend; his wife actress Kathryn Brody is in the city — but he already misses his partner of more than 40 years. “Our first date was April 16th, 1978. One year later we were engaged and on June 15th, 1980, we were married,” the actor tells Rolling Stone. “In both our cases, our marriage has never been better.”

Since the coronavirus pandemic hit early this year — leaving us sequestered both alone and with loved ones — Patinkin and his family have become a comfort for many during a daunting time. His son, Gideon, had the idea early on to post videos of his parents squabbling, dancing, and failing miserably at current pop culture trivia to Patinkin’s Twitter, reminding followers of their own parents and, perhaps, yearning for adoption into the vibrant family.

Patinkin soon turned his social media account into a platform to get out the vote for the 2020 election, posting videos of letter-writing campaigns and calls for folks to vote out current President Donald Trump. He even hooked up with his Princess Bride castmates to do a table read of the 1987 classic in support of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, reviving his classic character Inigo Montoya with nostalgic precision.

“If there was ever a story for all time and for our time right now, it’s that we really need genuine love hardest of all to and for ourselves,” he says. “And then if we can feel OK, we can take care of our husbands and wives and children and friends and people in the Congress and the Senate and our neighbors down the street who have different signs than we do on the lawn. … True love… I hate that corny crap but it just means whatever words you want to use to be a better person for yourself and whoever you’re privileged to connect with, even if you don’t like them, that’s what we need right now.”

Patinkin joined Rolling Stone for a wide-ranging conversation on voting, The Princess Bride, family, and how we can all love each other in isolation.

This is the latest installment of Rolling Stone’s latest new video series, RS Interview: Special Edition, featuring in-depth conversations with notable figures in music, entertainment and politics. Episodes premiere every Thursday afternoon on Rolling Stone’s YouTube channel.