**SPOILERS FOR THE TWO-EPISODE PREMIERE OF PASTURE AHEAD!**
Disney+‘s new show pasture not only marks our return to the world of the ’80s cult classic, but also Warwick Davis’ return to the eponymous role of Willow Ufgood. The Ron Howard film is full of standout performances from the likes of Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley and Kevin Pollack, but Davis is the heart, soul and face of the saga. pasture The show may introduce audiences to a whole new generation of heroes and villains, but it’s Warwick Davis who once again leads the way.
pasture The series is set 20 years after the events of the 1988 film. Elora Danan has gone into hiding, Madmartigan (Val Kilmer) has disappeared on a mysterious quest, and Sorsha (Joanne Whalley) is busy juggling teenage twins who are taken care of by the very… different passions of their absent father. Daughter Kit (Ruby Cruz) just wants to go head-to-head with her best friend Jade (Erin Kellyman), while son Airk (Dempsey Bryk) is the kingdom’s Lothario, recently tamed because he falls in love with kitchen maid Dove (Ellie Bamber). Has.
When evil forces kidnap Airk, Kit embarks on a mission to rescue her brother. But she needs help. Jade, Dove, Kit’s fiancé Graydon (Tony Revolori) and villain warrior Boorman (Amar Chadha-Patel) join Kit on her quest to find the great wizard Willow. Almost as soon as Willow meets the daughter of his old friends Madmartigan and Sorsha, he is distracted by the fact that Dove, as she is known, is actually the adult Elora Danan.
Decider recently chatted with pasture Star Warwick Davis on returning to the iconic role of Willow Ufgood, his real-life daughter Annabelle Davis’ role in the new series, and how Ellie Bamber can keep up with the grown-up Elora Danan he’s had on his mind since the ’80s…
DECISION MAKER: When Willow meets Elora Danan, she is not what he imagined. I’m curious, after all these years, how did Ellie Bamber measure up to what you think Elora Danan would be?
WARWICK-DAVIS: I mean, Ellie did a great job of capturing the kind of innocence and spirit that Warwick Davis definitely saw as a character for Elora Danan. I mean, she has that beautiful innocence, that charm that we saw the baby grow up with. And also that kind of special thing about her. Elora is a special breed of character with abilities beyond the abilities of most humans, and they just need to be nurtured and brought out somehow. Ellie captured that brilliantly in her performance.
In Episode 2, we get a flashback to a scene between a younger Willow and Sorsha, and Sorsha has this horrible, devastating thing to say to him. She doesn’t think he’ll ever be a great magician. Why was it important to share this moment and how does it affect their relationship and how Willow sees herself throughout the season?
Well, that really hits Willow hard when Sorsha tells him, “You’re not a great wizard and you never will be.” I mean, that hits him really hard because it’s always been his ambition to be a better wizard and a good wizard to be, and it reminds him that the success and triumph over Bavmorda lay within him pasture The movie was really fake. He kind of betrayed everyone. He tricked Bavmorda using sleight of hand magic and passed it off as actual sorcery. So, deep down, he knows he’s not a great wizard. But I don’t think he agrees with “it will never be”. He knows that if he puts in the work and is committed, he can achieve something.
In that sense, you’re reprising that character after, you know, so many years. What was the biggest similarity and difference between who Willow was in the movie and who he is now?
Willow in the 1988 film was an upbeat, bright young guy. Willow, who we see on the show, has been through some tough things in his family life. His own world experiences are quite obscure. He is much older now and has the sum of those life experiences with him. We still see a guy who can focus on things and achieve great things and is reluctant to become a hero again. So there are still some similarities. But you know, the main difference is the fact that he’s much older now and played by a much older person.
Speaking of family life, I know your daughter Annabelle Davis plays Mims. She is extraordinary in her scenes with you. What was it like working with her on set and what do you think she brought to Mims that no one else could?
For starters I mean Annabelle and I share DNA so she makes a perfect casting as my daughter and she is also a very talented actress in her own right. Acting alongside Annabelle was a real pleasure. You know, many actors don’t have much to give you as a performer, but Annabelle gives a lot. You have to bounce a lot. And the fact that we know each other so well also helps. You can feel that kind of chemistry and relationship in the scenes we act out together. And I think there’s definitely a lot more room to expand on Mim’s character. I mean, she’s a really cool young character that I think audiences will really relate to.
You’ve been part of this saga from the beginning, which is what you’re most excited about as a fan pasture ’88 seen in this series?
I look forward to them exploring more of the world of pasture. You know, the world you saw in the film was just the tip of the iceberg as far as the extent of that place. In the series, we can explore the whole – well, not all – but most of the world of pasture and introduce a whole new cast of characters. Some of them are somehow related to characters in the original film, some are not. And I think we’re just really taking the seed that was planted in the film pasture and just expand it in many different directions: funny, dramatic. I mean, there’s so much in there that it’s… I mean, eight episodes really wasn’t enough to tell this story. Let’s put it that way.