Watch: Warwick Davis on his return to Willow
Warwick Davis hopes his return as Willow will inspire people with physicaldisabilities all over the world.
Debuting on Disney+ on November 30, this six-part legacy series followsdirector Ron Howard’s 1988 movie of the same name — a film devised by GeorgeLucas — that gave Davis his leading man debut back when he was just 17 yearsold.
“People often say how the film allowed them to escape from their real-lifeexperiences at the time, how it brought them hope. I think the character ofWillow is quite inspirational,” Davis suggests to Yahoo.
Read more: Does Val Kilmer return in Willow?
“He’s three foot six, the world’s bigger than he is… but because he believedin what he was doing, his heart got him through and that gave him the courageto succeed. It also inspires people, not only with dwarfism around the worldbut hopefully people with any sort of physical disability or disadvantage.
“This is an important character,” continues Davis.
Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) in Willow. (Lucas film)
“I think that’s quite an inspirational idea for people who may think they’reat some sort of disadvantage in this world. They can seek solace andencouragement from that.”
Now, after a 34-year wait, the Star Wars and Harry Potter star is back as theunlikely sorcerer charged with saving his mystical world from an ancient evilthat threatens to rise once more.
“It was really cool going back to the character again,” smiles Davis, now 52and back in Willow’s world.
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“Once you play a character, he’s within you and becomes part of who you are -and Willow was always in me,” he admits.
“Going into this series, Ron [Howard] said to me, ‘You had great instinctswhen we did the film, just use those when you come to do the series… go withwhat you feel is right for the character because you know him better thananyone else’ – and that’s what I did.”
Warwick Davis in 1988’s Willow. (Lucas film)
As we quickly discover, the Willow of today is a far cry from the clumsywannabe wizard we first met back in ’88. In Jonathan Kasdan’s continuation,Willow has finally achieved his goal of becoming a legendary sorcerer but whenhe glimpses a vision of approaching evil, he’s lured back into the realm ofswords and spells, with echoes of his past never too far behind.
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“A lot has happened to Willow since the end of the film,” Davis teases. “Hislife has been turned upside down by several events, some quite challenging. Ileaned into the real-life experience I’ve had since the end of the film andthe fact that I’m a lot older now,” he explains. “I think it helps. There’s alot more gravitas to Willow now than when I was 17 years old.”
Watch a trailer for ** willow**
There’s also a lot more humour. Since Davis last donned Willow’s robes, he’splayed a variety of different roles and even tried his hand at comedyalongside The Office creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. In a strangeturn of events, it was this collaboration that played an unlikely yet pivotalpart in crafting Kasdan’s fantasy world.
“[Jonathan] said ‘the more like Life’s Too Short you can make this, thebetter,’” Davis reveals with a smile. “He’s a massive fan of the series andwanted to bring that out in Willow, which was weird for me because I’m so usedto playing the character in more of a straight way. He said I could be asbroad as I want and be funnier and [he] encouraged improvisation and ad-libbing.”
Ricky Gervais and Warwick Davis during a panel for the HBO television seriesLife’s Too Short in 2012. (Reuters)
He adds: “It took me a while to get used to that way of working. I wanted tobe true to the character and what we’d done before… but it is fun – andfunny.”
He’s not wrong. Flanking Davis is a diverse cast of breakout stars, includingAmar Chadha-Patel, Erin Kellyman, Dempsey Bryk, Ellie Bamber, Ruby Cruz andTony Revolori from Tom Holland’s MCU’s Spider-verse. Each is tasked withinjecting some new blood into a familiar fantasy while taking Willow into somenew and unexpected places – and they all look like they’re having a hell of atime doing it.
Read more: Talisa Garcia makes history in Willow
“All of them messed about,” Davis grins. “I felt like a real old curmudgeonsometimes. I was like ‘guys, just calm down a bit. We’re trying to focus.’ Ikind of felt like the character, trying to tell everyone to focus whilethey’re learning sorcery,” he chuckles. “I also felt the weight of the fanbase who have been with us for 35 years since the film came out. I wanted todo the best job I could for them and have this best it could be,” reasonsDavis. “I felt a great responsibility.”
Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) in Willow. (Lucas film)
With fantasy and nostalgia key commodities in today’s pop-culture landscape,the Star Wars and Harry Potter actor is right to keep fan expectations inmind. Over the years, Willow has become a much-loved form of escapism for manyaudiences – and one with a great social message that this new series was keento champion and bring to a new generation of fans.
Willow is streaming on Disney+ from November 30.
Watch: The cast of Willow address Val Kilmer ‘s presence in the show