fter George Lucas brought science fiction front and center with the first trilogy of Star Wars movies, he took a shot at high fantasy by creating the story for Willow (1988), directed by Ron Howard. After far too long a wait, the DVD version of that film will be hitting the shelves in November, 13 years after Willow was released theatrically.
Warwick Davis, the star of Willow, has appeared in numerous genre films, including Star Wars: Episode VI—Return of the Jedi, Labyrinth, Leprechaun and the upcoming Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. In an exclusive interview with Science Fiction Weekly, Davis shares his stories about the making of this film, his career and his remarkable history with Lucas.
It seems to me that it must be very difficult for male adult actors below a certain height, say, 5'4", to get a lead role in a movie. With that in mind, it seems like Willow could be the role of a lifetime. Is that true?
Davis: Oh, absolutely. It's been one of the most popular roles, as far as audiences go, that I've ever done. And it is unusual in the sense that you have here a character who is the title role in the movie and he's a heroic character—and he's only 3'6". And, also, unstereotypically, as well, women are quite prominent in the piece and are also heroic, and villainous characters, as well. You have Sorsha and Bavmorda and Raziel, the sorceress.
But, yeah, it is the role of a lifetime. I remember Billy Barty—he's probably the most famous short actor that's ever been—he was thrilled that this film was being made. He said, "You know there's never been anything quite like this." Apart from employing several hundred short people for the film, he said that it's so unusual that there is this heroic character who is short. It's a very positive film. There's nothing negative toward short people within it at all. It's in no way looking down on them.
I think it takes a lot of courage on the part of anyone in Hollywood to take this kind of step, and I like the way that short people are presenting as normal and the taller people are presented as giants.
Davis: It's totally shot from Willow's perspective, isn't it? It was a brave step. George Lucas had this idea back in 1983 when he was working with me on the Ewok movie for ABC television. He mentioned to my mum one day that he had this idea for this story, and it was really based on me. He said it would be a few years before he would do it, and he didn't say what it would be called at that time. And that turned out to be Willow. He was sort of inspired by knowing me and working with me.
But it does portray short people as being normal and being in a community. It's not patronizing in any way, which is wonderful.
So George Lucas wrote this role specifically for you?
Davis: It's pretty flattering, isn't it?
In 1986 I was on holiday and got a call. And it said, "George Lucas and Ron Howard would like to meet you in London to have a chat." I thought, "Wow, this sounds interesting." So I went up there, and they talked to me about Willow, which they were then ready to do. They discussed it with me, and I said, "Great!" And then I had to go audition along with hundreds of other short actors from all over the world. George always saw me as the character. I don't know the exact story, but I think Ron wanted to assert his role as the director and audition properly just to check that I was the man. Willow was written as the 30-year-old father of two children, and I was only 17 at that point. I was 16 when they met me. I think Ron was a bit anxious about whether this could really be credibly done or not.
They invited me to Los Angeles where I was reading while people were auditioning for Madmartigan. Some top actors came through, including Val Kilmer. I remember him because he was wearing sandals and scruffy shorts and a shirt, and he was ever so sunburned—he was red in the face because he'd driven in an open-top car to the audition. But he looked the part. That's what was clever. And I've taken that philosophy. Anything I audition for now, I try to go looking a bit the part. If the character's kind of unshaven and a bit rough, I won't shave that day. And it works. So he came in, and I'd been reading this all day, the same scene over and over again. And after that reading, Val left, and they pulled me aside and said, "Well done, Warwick. We want you to play Willow." I think they were testing my endurance that day to see whether I was going to be able to endure repeating stuff over and over—and, generally, the sort of hardship that Willow was going to be. It was a very physical film, like nothing I'd ever done before.
Apart from the fact that this was the first film where audiences were going to see my face. I would have to really perform, trying to convey real emotion with my face—because, before, I'd been hidden behind masks, you see. I was used to portraying an Ewok or a goblin and that kind of thing. But when you're outside of a mask, you have to think about very different things.
Ron and I spent several weeks in rehearsal talking about this. He particularly wanted me to look at the films of James Stewart. He felt that James Stewart had a very naturalistic style of acting, and these were the qualities he wanted me to bring to Willow.
I would love them to do a sequel, because it would be like me having another go at it. Every job that I do, I take something away. More knowledge about acting. I'll never perfect this craft. I don't know where there are any actors who say, "Yes, I've cracked it." I don't think I ever will. I'll always be learning. That's what I enjoy. Working with other actors and just seeing how they do things. Taking little bits from them.
When did you first meet George Lucas?
Davis: I first met him on Return of the Jedi, which was my first movie, when I was 11. But I got into films by just pure chance. My grandmother heard a commercial on the radio in London and it was saying, "We're looking for small people to play characters in the next Star Wars movie." She didn't know whether to call my mum or not—she didn't want to offend my mum. But she called and said, "I heard this commercial. What do you think?" And my mum said, "Well, it's Star Wars, isn't it? Warwick's a huge fan of those films, anyway." So she picked me up from school one day and said, "What have you always wanted to do?" I said, "I don't know." She said, "You could be in a Star Wars film, if you want." We went up to the studios. They actually had filled all the parts. They didn't need anyone else, you see, but they said, "OK. We'll meet you." I was only 2'11" at the time, and they thought, "Great. Warwick can play a young Ewok."
And before I knew it, there I was on the Star Wars set. But then while we were shooting, George Lucas spotted me in the crowd doing some things that he quite liked. I took it upon myself to try and create a character, for some reason—I don't know what was going through my mind. But I was like, "OK, there's R2-D2—how would an Ewok react to him? We're used to seeing trees and organic things, and now there's this robot there that's totally like nothing else we've seen before." And I figured an Ewok would be quite inquisitive about that. So I started working with R2-D2, and they quickly slammed the cameras around and started shooting. Then I was asked to go to America.
Through another bit of chance and luck—Kenny Baker, who normally plays R2-D2—he was an Ewok, as well. He was supposed to play this scene with Carrie Fisher in the forest where you meet an Ewok for the first time—and he got food poisoning. And the next person they called on was me. In this business as an actor, you need luck and talent, and luck's a big part of it.
There are other things that I do apart from acting. I run an agency for short actors, as well, called Willow Management. I enjoy making videos, too. It's something that I did after Return of the Jedi. I got very interested in how they made films, so I bought a video camera with the money that I earned and started making short films and entering competitions and doing quite well at that.
When you make your short films, do you direct? Do you produce?
Davis: I do absolutely everything. I'm in some of them. One day they will be released, I'm sure. If I can, I'll persuade other actors that I know to be in them. I do the filming, the directing, the special effects, the editing, absolutely everything.
How has the movie Willow affected your career?
Davis: Mostly positive, I must say, because it's the most recognizable role. Everybody knows me from Willow. You walk into an audition, and they know you've done Willow. But I would like to be more recognized for other things I've done. It's one of those things. It's a very popular film. At the moment, in the U.K. here, our digital satellite television is showing that film nearly on a daily basis on their movie channel.
I haven't been typecast. Of course, I've gone on to do Leprechaun, horror work, and then in Harry Potter, getting back in the makeup again, playing a professor of 60 or 70. I've been able to diversify, which is very important. When you do a very big role like Willow, a title role, if you don't quickly go and do something that's very different, you could be pigeon-holed. Films like that don't come along very often, so I would have been high and dry.
Willow is a very interesting character in that he cares very deeply about his family, and yet he's willing to take the risk of taking a baby back to the giants. There's a certain degree of kindness that you bring to the role that makes me wonder more about Ron Howard talking to you about Jimmy Stewart movies.
Davis: I think he was looking for that sort of sincerity. He would also say to me, "Willow is very much a family man. He really does care about that. His values are very important to him. He's an upstanding kind of citizen. He believes that what's right is right and what's wrong is wrong." It's a show of his courage, as well. He's happy with his life, and he then takes this responsibility—when he finds this baby. He's a small guy in a huge world, going out there. Everything is bigger than him. The adventure is bigger than him. The environment is, as well.
And he is an interesting character. I think that's why it's so appealing to people. I often wonder, why do you kids watch this film over and over again, and wear the video out? I've heard that hundreds and hundreds of times, literally, from parents. I think it is because people identify with this character. He's the kind of person that a lot of people would like to be. He's a great role model in that sense. And children identify with the character because he's small. When they're watching James Bond or all these characters who are average-size adults, they'll kind of identify with them and think, I'd love to drive that car fast or jump off that bridge—or whatever that character's doing. But with Willow they can look at him and think, that guy—he's about my height—I could do that, as well. I think it takes them into another level, a deeper level of their imagination when they're watching the film.
What was the greatest challenge in making Willow?
Davis: If I was to be offered that role now, I'd be petrified, because I'd realize at this point what it would entail. And, also, the pressure would be much greater. It's the title role of a movie. But then, at 17, I didn't see the weight that was there. I just took it into my stride and enjoyed it, which was a great attitude to have. I think probably some of that came across in the character—kind of easygoing, very natural, just enjoying it. I had to learn how to horse ride, I had to learn how to swordfight, I had to learn parenting skills—holding a baby, feeding a baby, changing a diaper. I was 17—I had to look like I was the father of two children. And that was probably the hardest thing. And physically it was very challenging for me. Walking is not my favorite activity—my legs will ache after a little while. There was a lot of walking and horse riding and jumping about—a lot of physical work for me. But I had age on my side.
What do you like most about Willow?
Davis: I like the effect and the impact that it's had on audiences all over the world. Wherever I go, whatever the culture—I've been to Mexico, Japan, America, Australia—they have this kind of love for the movie. It's like they've watched it as a family experience and drawn something from it. It's enriched their lives somehow. That's what I'm most pleased about, that it's made people happy and it still does, 14 years on. The popularity has not waned. I've been in Star Wars: Episode 1, more recently in Harry Potter, and I'm sure that Willow will be something that people are talking about to me, saying how they love that film. I get e-mail regularly about Willow. The most popular question is "Will there be a Willow 2?" And I don't know. I've put the question to George. He's got many projects he wants to do after Star Wars is finished, when he finishes the third prequel. He has a shelf, he calls it, and there are many things on that shelf he wants to do. Whether Willow will be something he'll pull off the shelf to do, I don't know.
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