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Article by Scott Chernoff, from Star Wars Insider #31 (Summer 1996)
 

Though fans the world over now recognize him as the heroic Willow or the dastardly Leprechaun, Warwick Davis began his acting career at the tender age of 11 in a sci-fi sequel called Return of the Jedi. "I thought I'd start off," the actor said, "with a small film like that and work my way up."

Though hidden behind a mask in Jedi, Davis captured fans' attention with his portrayal of Wicket the Ewok, a role he'd go on to play in two subsequent Ewok films, televised on ABC in America and released theatrically elsewhere. In fact, when his roles in Willow and Labyrinth are factored in, Davis ranks second only to Harrison Ford as the actor with whom George Lucas has collaborated the most.

But there is one Lucas-produced role that Davis, surprisingly, did not score, the actor revealed. "I did an audition for the voice of Wicket on the Ewoks cartoon," he said. "I wasn't right for it then, but I think I could do it now."

Indeed, there seems to be little Davis could not do, having forged a remarkably successful career in film, bucking the trends the tend to keep little people and former child stars--of which he is both--from acting.

"In America it's great," the actor said by phone from London, where he was appearing as Doc in a stage production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. "I'll walk down the street, and someone will run up, recognizing me from Willow. Then someone else will approach and say 'You were Wicket--I recognize the way you walk.' One time, I met a mad group of teenagers who watch all the Leprechaun movies every St. Patrick's Day."

In fact, the star has often commented that were it not for his size (the 26-year-old actor, who has been married to his wife Samantha for five years, is 3'4" tall), he may never have even become an actor. "My dad's an insurance broker, so I might have done that," he said. "It's scary--if my grandmother had not heard that radio commercial, I might not be talking to you now."

That radio commercial was the one broadcast over U.K. radio announcing a need for little people in a new movie. "I went down and immediately got masked up and given my start date of January 1982," he recalled. "The film was called Blue Harvest. I still have my hat and jacket," he added, referring to the dummy title Lucasfilm gave Return of the Jedi so as not to draw undue attention.

An avid Star Wars enthusiast, young Davis was understandably excited when he found out what movie he'd just stumbled into. "It was quite something for me at that age, being a fan of the films, and then to be in one--I couldn't quite comprehend it," he said. "I still have a memory," he added, "of lining up outside the cinema when I was seven for Star Wars, and then going home and giving my mum a full, detailed account of what happened--which took almost as long as the film itself."

Making the leap onto the set, Davis said, was the experience of a lifetime. "For a start," he explained, "you're in a Star Wars film, and then just the cameras--there was so much to take in. It was mind-blowing for me." But the then-11-year-old Davis, who celebrated his 12th birthday on the set, was not originally cast as Wicket.

 
Warwick in a candid moment on the Jedi set, and on Willow, with Val Kilmer and Ron Howard.
 

"I was simply an extra, a background Ewok," he said. But when Kenny Baker--who, of course, already played R2-D2 and the Chief Jawa--fell ill the day of an important scene, Lucas and director Richard Marquand went looking for another Ewok.

"George Lucas noticed I was doing interesting things with the character-- the way an Ewok moves, and little bits of business with R2-D2," Davis says. "This all came very naturally to me, probably just my natural curiosity, but George quite liked it. Also, my costume, I think was cuter than some of the others, and I was the only one who could put my tongue through the mask. So it was a lot of coincidence and luck. I ended up filming the scene with Princess Leia, and the rest is history."

In addition to aiding his uninhibited approach to acting, Davis' age also contributed the crucial component of energy to his work on the Jedi set. "They used to call me the 'Ever-Ready Ewok' because I was so young I could keep going in the heat while the other Ewoks would get too hot," he said. But he wasn't completely immune to the heat. "It was very hot, and we all needed air," he said. "Every time a shot ended, it was 'Heads off!' At one point, they tried putting pipes in, a hair dryer without a heating element. And our eyes kept misting up. They tried putting soap on, drilling holes in the corners, but nothing worked."

For the most part, though, the Jedi set was a wonderland for the young Ewok. "Mark Hamill got me all the Star Wars toys I wanted," he recalled. "I still have them and treasure them. In fact," he admitted, "I still have a Wicket figure on my bedside table. It's sort of a shrine. I also have a cairn terrier named Wicket, which has the same coloring as Wicket."

But Davis revealed--for the first time, he said--the most exciting extracurricular activity at Elstree. "While we were shooting the film," he proclaimed, "the assistant director, David Tomblin, wrote a film called Return of the Ewok, which was basically me, as Warwick, getting the part of Wicket. It's about 25 minutes long, but it was never properly completed.

"Harrison was in it, and Anthony Daniels, and [co-producer] Robert Watts. There was a little bit with Frank Oz where I visit Yoda and get my intergalactic passport. There's a great bit where I'm at the cinema in London showing Empire, the scene with Luke fighting Vader, and Luke back-flips out of the theater and I say "Go on, Luke, you can do it' and he back-flips back in. It's a unique piece of history, since it's got Elstree Studios"--much of which was recently razed--"standing as it was.

"As far as I know," he continued, tantalizingly, "I've got the only copy, a VHS. It's a treasured memory." Suddenly struck with an idea and vowing to "make some calls," Davis declared, "I might see if I can bring it on my convention appearances, for the fans."

If that long shot pays off, it could be another highlight of the upcoming "Men Behind the Mask" tour, which teams Davis with Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, and Jeremy Bulloch on a lecture/q&a tour for Star Wars-hungry fans. "The fans are looking much deeper into the film and the actors involved," Davis said. "I had never been to any of the conventions, but then I went to one in Pasadena and was quite surprised. I wasn't aware there was still such a following. I mean, I'd enjoyed the films over the years--I'll take them out and watch them as an evening, and I really enjoyed the THX laser disc edition--but I never realized the depth of fan support. It's nice to meet all the fans who appreciate the films and chat with them."

Davis said the "Men Behind the Mask" tour was initially met with skepticism by the powers-that-be. "Lucasfilm was a little wary of it before," he said, "that it's giving away the secrets.

 
A rare shot of Wicket unmasked, with friends.
Warwick with the man who made it all possible, George Lucas.
 

"We had our first official appearance in Denver in September," Davis said, "but we were [at a convention] in Nashville, and we had such a great time doing radio interviews and talking about our experience on the films. We have a great time together. When we did the convention in Pasadena, all of us men behind the mask went to Disneyland and rode Star Tours many, many times. There's a great photo of us all in the front row. I'm also very proud to be featured on the big video screen in the waiting area."

The actor is also considerably jazzed to catch the retooled Jedi when the Special Editions hit screens next year. "Seeing some of the footage they've done," he said, "it's brilliant. I can't wait until February!"

Although Davis said that, "With all the Star Wars stuff going on, it's bringing it all back to me," he also turned his attention to Willow, which afforded him "the first role to play without any mask or big costume. It was another high point." Davis said that Lucas wrote the movie with him in mind. "When we were shooting one of the Ewok movies," he said, "George turned to my mum and said, 'I'm writing something for Warwick. It's for down the line, not yet.' "

Davis said he's proud of the movie. "I think it was a good film, and a very positive film for little people. The moral was you can achieve anything if you believe in it." Davis said he considers himself lucky that Lucas has continually written parts for little people over the years. "George seems to be very interested in scale," he theorized. "It gives a film an interesting look when you have characters of different sizes. It's a visual thing."

And eight years after topping one of cinema's largest casts of little people, Davis said Willow remains a fan favorite. "Everywhere I go," Davis said, "it's Willow. It's my most-recognized role. I look at it as all the films I did before were training for Willow. I had been sort of sheltered behind the mask before that. Still, I've learned so much since then, I think I could do a better job now."

When asked if he was disappointed that he didn't get the chance to reprise the role in any of the proposed Willow sequels that never materialized, Davis said he has not yet given up hope. "There's a book, Shadow Moon, and it takes place quite some years on, so it could still happen," he said. "I mean, new Star Wars movies are being made 20 years later, so anything's possible. I'll give George a few more years to get Star Wars out of the way, and then maybe he'll pick up the pen on Willow 2."

Willow paired Davis with the man-who-would-be-Batman, Val Kilmer. "Working with Val was a lot of fun," Davis recalled. "I remember when we were just flying out to New Zealand, my first time on a first-class airplane, wearing my fake Ray-Ban sunglasses that cost me about five dollars. Then Val comes on, grabs my sunglasses and snaps them in half. I thought, 'Great, there goes my image for New Zealand.' Then he pulled out two new pairs of real Ray-Bans, and said, 'Here you go.' He loves the shock value of a gag."

Davis also had the opportunity to work under the direction of another child star, Ron Howard. "Ron is a great director," he said, "and I think that's because he was an actor. We've kept up a friendship. When we did Willow, I was very into wanting to direct. I still want to--I directed a play, some short videos that won some awards--but acting became my first love again, so I sort of put that on the back-burner."

In addition to working with top-flight talent and acting unmasked, Willow also afforded Davis his first adult role. "You can't rely on what got you into film," he advised. "A lot of child actors get roles because they're awfully cute. I got the role in Return of the Jedi because I was 2'11" tall. But I tried to follow that with good acting. A lot of actors are still relying on being cute."

 
A tender moment with Wicket and Leia interrupted by blaster fire.
(No caption)
 

Davis also played a supporting role in the Lucas-produced, Jim Henson-directed fantasy epic Labyrinth, which he characterizes as "quite a difficult film. The costumes were so hot and heavy. It was a hard shoot, and a very crazy shoot. The script was written one way, but once the puppeteers added their input and all the crazy things they could do with the characters, it would change. But Jim Henson was a true master of the art, and that's the way he liked to work, to recognize the ad-libs."

But little did Davis suspect that one of his most popular signature roles would come not in a George Lucas film, but in a low-budget camp horror film about an evil leprechaun. By now the series is on its fourth installment, which should hit home video any minute now. "4 is the wackiest," he said. "It's called Leprechaun 4: Lost in Space. It's a great comedy in which he's somehow in orbit and creating some sort of havoc. It parodies Aliens and Star Wars."

Davis said he was a bit astonished at the way "those films took off with a cult following," calling them "great films for a pizza and beer." But he added, "It was lovely to be selected to play an evil character for once, and I had total free rein for it. There was a lot of improv. Except for the facts that he's a shoemaker and likes a spot of whiskey, I had free rein to create my crazy character within the makeup by Gabe Bartalos."

Though he characterized Bartalos' work as an unqualified success, Davis said the grueling 3-hour process has turned him off to doing any more Leprechaun films. "The fourth was unexpected. I'm saying 'never again'. The check would have to be pretty fat. Plus, I don't want to get typecast."

The actor said non-makeup roles are "something I'm still striving for. I'll still get the creature parts. Hopefully, I'll play another in the new Star Wars movies. I hope I'll be remembered and utilized. I would do it for nothing, it would be such an honor."

Of course, there remains the possibility that what Davis calls "creature parts" could be unavailable to human actors, thanks to Lucasfilm's advances in digital imaging. But Davis said he doesn't believe that real performers will ever go completely out of style. "There is a presence and a life that comes through any costume or puppet, and it comes from the human performer," he said. "You can program the movements, but there is an invisible essence that they can't get with computer graphics--at least, not yet. Of course, I would say that, because I am an actor.

"At the same time, I really admire the technology, and believe we could work in harmony. Actors could be advisors, and are needed for voice-overs," he continued, noting that most Disney films these days are animated according to the appearance and physicality of the voice-over performers, "so the actor's still doing the job. Also, the computer-generated characters are a little more expensive still."

Looking over his successful--and still burgeoning--career, Davis said, "Every film presents a challenge. With Willow, it was the action. In Return of the Jedi and the Ewok films, it was the heat and the costume. With Leprechaun, it was enduring the makeup. But the biggest challenge is to keep going, to keep the momentum going. I'm lucky I've had steady work--and not all the films are related to being small," he exclaimed, revealing that he will play the role of Pechet in an upcoming "Prince Valiant" film. "It's a swashbuckler," he said, "and that character was written in for me. It's a comedy/action role, and it could have been played by someone of any size, really."

The new role is just another barrier the actor has broken in his 15-year career. Still young at 26, it appears Davis is on the threshold of a new and possibly even more successful phase in his life as an actor. But whatever happens next, it's clear that Warwick Davis already stands tall on the cinematic horizon.

 
Chernoff, Scott. "Wicket Unleashed" Star Wars Insider #31. Ed. Jon Bradley Snyder. Aurora, CO: Madsen, Summer 1996. 49-52.