Billy Crystal Says Nancy Pelosi Is a 'Princess Bride Freak': 'She Knew All the Lines'

Count former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi among the most devoted fans of the iconic 1987 fantasy film Princess Bride.

That's according to actor Billy Crystal, who, in a recent CBS Mornings interview with Gayle King, said the California Democrat is a "Princess Bride freak."

Speaking to King about the recent Medallion Ceremony honoring him and other recipients of the 46th Annual Kennedy Center Honors, 75-year-old Crystal — who portrayed Miracle Max in the classic film — said, “We're at the State Department on Saturday night. This is where you actually get the medallion ... And Nancy Pelosi is there."

"And as we're leaving, she says, 'I have to tell you something. I'm a Princess Bride freak.' So I said, 'Really?' She said, 'We all are. See. Especially for Miracle Max. If there's a bill that we don't think is good, we go, Eh. It's mostly dead. If one is pretty good, we go, It's slightly alive.'"

The lines mentioned by 83-year-old Pelosi are the same uttered by Crystal's Princess Bride character.

Crystal then continued quoting Pelosi as saying, "'If another bill comes, I go, No. It's all dead.' And she goes, 'Because you know what happens when you're all dead?' I said, 'Yeah. You look through the pocket.' And she goes, 'Yeah. For loose change.' She knew all the lines."

Calling the moment "unbelievable," Crystal said it was "the greatest."

When reached by PEOPLE, a spokesperson for Pelosi confirmed that the former speaker "is a fan of Princess Bride and has used those lines in the context of legislating."

Pelosi became the first female speaker of the House — a role that would define her political career and further carve a path for women in congressional leadership — in 2007.

Last November, Pelosi announced she would step down as the Democratic House leader at the end of 2022, making her announcement shortly after the Republican Party regained the majority of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, which has been controlled by Democrats for the past four years.

Pelosi said she would, however, continue to serve as a member of the House, "speaking for the people of San Francisco, serving the great state of California and defending our Constitution."