Willow star Warwick Davis got his start as an actor playing the lead Ewok (named Wicket W. Warrick after the performer who inhabited him) in Lucasfilm’s Star Wars sequel Return of the Jedi. He reprised the role of Wicket in two made-for-television Ewoks films, then went on to a long and illustrious career in film and television, appearing in Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, the Leprechaun series of horror movies, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and as multiple parts in the Harry Potter franchise. He’s also had a loosely autobiographical HBO comedy series entitled Life’s Too Short, and has famously returned to the Star Wars galaxy for numerous cameo appearances.
And now Warwick Davis has returned to what is probably his most iconic role– and notably one of the few parts where he’s been able to perform without a mask or heavy prosthetics– as Willow Ufgood in the new live-action Willow sequel series, which premieres tomorrow on Disney+. During a recent virtual press conference in promotion of Willow, Davis talked about how he felt to return to the fantasy world he helped bring to life nearly 35 years ago.
The moderator of the press conference started off by asking Warwick Davis whether he ever imagined returning to the world of Willow three and a half decades later. “Certainly not, no, absolutely not. For years it’s been talked about, not by anyone official, but by the fans. They’ve constantly pestered me, saying ‘when are we going to see a sequel to that movie?’ And it’s a question that I could never answer until I met [showrunner and Solo: A Star Wars Story co-screenwriter] Jon Kasdan, who I understood was also a fan. I wondered on the set of Solo who had let him onto set. You know, ‘no fans allowed here,’ because he was obsessed, talking about Willow. And surely we should be concentrating on making this Star Wars story here, shouldn’t we? [Eventually] it was decided that there should indeed be more Willow, and so that was the catalyst for this project to happen, really. It happened very quickly in Hollywood terms. It wasn’t years and years of development, before I knew it I was on set in Wales for the very first day of filming, once again looking just like Willow, but a slightly older, more mature, better-looking version. Sexier.”
Next Warwick talked about the familiar locations and moments from the original film that are referenced in the series. “Certainly for me, one of the most enjoyable things about the series was really those callbacks to events that had happened in the film– times that when I as a character talk about those events. That was a really fun way of looking back at those things, and certainly I think fans will get a kick out of [it]. But also, we went back to locations [and] environments that we’d already been to in the film. In particular, Nockmaar was one of those particular places that, for me, really kind of gave me the shivers. There I am kind of standing or sitting somewhere that Bavmorda would have sat, and [I] still kind of felt her presence in that area. That just shows you how powerful the film was, and those settings, and also Jean Marsh’s performance.”
Then Davis discussed his own children’s history with Willow as a film, and then being able to participate in the making of the new series. “I remember the time I first showed Harrison the movie. At the time I think he was about six. I left him in our living room watching it, and went and did a bit of emailing and work. He came running through to my office saying, ‘Dad, dad, you’re in trouble, are you okay?’ I said, ‘I'm fine.’ At that time I was being attacked by a troll on screen. So yeah, it had a profound effect on Harrison. And he’s had counseling ever since. [laughs] But yeah, it was wonderful to have Harrison and my daughter Annabelle as part of the series. Annabelle plays Mims, Willow’s daughter. She’s a brilliant actor in her own right now, and we had a lot of fun playing the scenes together. Obviously we’ve got that natural chemistry between us, which I think really shines in the scenes we have together. I’m immensely proud of her work. Also Harrison, for me, he’s the most perfect stunt and photo double. He stands the same height as I do [and] looks just like me. He’s slightly disappointed now that he’s never going to be recognised for the work he did, because as a stunt double and photo double, you should not be known… you should not even exist. [laughs] Poor old Harrison is not going to get any credit for this one.”
And what was the toughest thing about becoming the character of Willow Ufgood again? “For me, [it was] the physical challenges of the role. I remember [the] first time ‘round, when I was seventeen, it was physically quite challenging. The difficult terrains, the harsh conditions in the mountains of New Zealand. But this time around, I’m not seventeen anymore. Fifty-two, so [it was the] rough terrain, mud, that sort of thing… very unwieldy dialogue from Mr. Kasdan. [laughs] All of those things were challenging. But yeah, the rest of the cast there, these dare-I-say young cast, were great support to me, and immensely helpful getting me through the whole process. But yeah, there are challenges– also doing the original material justice, I suppose. You know, having the weight of the fans with me, wanting to do the very best job that we could and deliver a series that everyone could enjoy, be it the fans of the original and the new audience we hope to bring to this show as well.”
“So you’ve got that in your mind the whole time. And you know, it can give you a lot of kind of responsibility and bring a lot of weight to the whole thing. But nonetheless the experience was a fun one. It’s one I look back on with great affection and fondness. What makes projects special are the people, not the material [or] the character. It’s the people you work with– this amazing ensemble cast we have here, and Jon our writer, the various directors we had throughout the series as well. And also the creatives at the top of the ladder, namely Kathleen Kennedy and Ron Howard himself as well, presiding over everything. He was kind of like our Yoda, I suppose. [laughs]”
How important was it to incorporate a sense of humor into the series that remains true to the original movie’s tone? “It’s important that we took that kind of ethos from the film– the humor, because that’s what really set Willow apart from the other fantasy offerings of the 80s: it could look at itself and laugh and not take itself seriously. But also, as well as being a great kind of fantasy writer and sci-fi writer, John is also a very good comic writer as well. And he’d often say to me, ‘I’m going to go full Life’s Too Short with this scene,’ which meant he wanted it to be as funny as it could be.”
Willow premieres tomorrow, November 30th, exclusively on Disney+.