Interview: Meet the cast and characters of the Willow TV series (2024)

Released back in 1988, classic fantasy Willow followed the aspiring magician Willow (Warwick Davis), who hailed from a quiet Nelwyn village. However, upon discovering an infant girl, Elora Danan, who was destined to unite the realms, Willow teamed up with local rogue Madmartigan (Val Kilmer) to destroy the evil queen Bavmorda with the help of Bavmorda’s own daughter, Sorsha (Joanne Whalley, who returns in the series).

Now, twenty years later, Willow is back with a new adventure with the TV series Willow and we head back to a magical world where brownies, sorcerers, trolls, and other mystical creatures flourish, and join Willow as his adventure continues.

This time, Willow is teaming up with a whole new bunch of characters and we spoke to the cast of Willow to find out more about this generation’s group of unlikely heroes…

Kit (played by Ruby Cruz)

Interview: Meet the cast and characters of the Willow TV series (1)

Kit is the daughter of Sorsha and Madmartigan.Kit is not so nice,” Cruz laughs when we ask her about her character. “She’s definitely unfiltered and opinionated but she’s very strong willed, impulsive, and brave.

“I think that her strength is something that I really took from being in her headspace for so long. She knows what she likes and what she doesn’t and is very vocal about it. I think that’s something that I definitely admire and I learned a lot from. She goes through a lot of changes though that I’m excited for people to witness.”

Airk (played by Dempsey Bryk)

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Eric is Kit’s twin brother and after being kidnapped, is the reason for the group’s epic quest throughout the first season of Willow. “Eric is a prince,” Bryk tells us. “He’s happy go lucky and nice. Usually that’s an insult colloquially these days, but I think it’s a really special thing and not a lot of characters are just overtly nice. I’m really proud of that trait of his.”

Jade (played by Erin Kellyman)

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Jade lives in the palace with Eric and Kit. She has ambitions to join the queen’s guard and is Kit’s sparring partner and love interest. “I would describe Jade as somebody who pushes a lot of her feelings and emotions down,” Kellyman says. ”I think she’s got this mentality of ‘just keep going, keep pushing on’. I would also say she’s brave, very trustworthy and strong.

“I think to be honest, all of the women in the show could be described as that which is really cool.”

Dove (played by Ellie Bamber)

Interview: Meet the cast and characters of the Willow TV series (4)

Dove lives in the palace and is in love with Eric. Though not qualified in the slightest, she joins the quest to find him. “Dove is a determined, incredibly brave and honest kitchen maid, who makes the best muffins in town, by the way,” Bamber laughs when describing her character.

“She’s in love with the prince and when the prince goes missing, she really wants to go on the quest to find him. So she kind of sneaks along and nobody really wants her there. But they figure out that maybe she’s a bit more useful and that she has a lot more to offer than they first thought.”

Graydon (played by Tony Revolori)

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Graydon is a prince from a neighbouring kingdom and is Kit’s (reluctant) betrothed. He is forced on the quest by his father not long after meeting Kit. “I’m a Disney prince!” Revolori exclaims. “Graydon is a prince of Galladoorn, who is a shy introverted book smart yet maybe not world smart human being. He doesn’t have a great home life. But he finds love and comfort and security and support in his newfound family, even though he didn’t originally want to go on this quest and they didn’t want him on this quest!”

Boorman (Amar Chadha-Patel)

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Boreman is an old friend of Madmartigan and is in jail when we first meet him. He’s sent along on the quest as he’s journeyed to perilous lands before.Boreman is a tall man with a sword who makes jokes,” Chadha-Patel laughs when we ask him about his character. “Essentially you’re like ‘this guy is funny, he’s the rouge’. And he is. He’s roguish, he’s kind of funny, really loud, like a bit too loud… But underneath all of that roguish, slightly annoying Machiavellian charm he’s got machinations.

“He’s definitely got his own ideas about what he wants to achieve on this quest. But like everybody, he finds a purpose he wasn’t maybe ready for.”

And where do we find Willow himself…?

Interview: Meet the cast and characters of the Willow TV series (7)

The series picks up twenty years after the movie and Willow is now High Aldwin of his village. However, with a darkness creeping into the lands, the villagers have been moved underground. Willow himself is estranged from Sorsha after she tells him that he is not to train Elora Danan and hides the child from even Willow himself.

“Willow doesn’t have the optimism he did have about life,” Davis tells us of the character he’s played since he was 17. “He’s a little more world-weary now. Much more pessimistic about his approach to life. We also learn about his sorcery. Is he now a real sorcerer? The sorcery he did in the film, was it real? Has he hoodwinked everyone?”

Well, you’ll just have to find out as Willow lands on Disney+ on 30 November

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Interview: How Star Wars influenced the Willow TV series

Interview: Meet the cast and characters of the Willow TV series (2024)

FAQs

What was the reaction to the Willow series? ›

Willow on Disney Plus feels more like a teenage YA drama than an epic fantasy. Cheap costumes, deeply cringe-inducing dialogue between characters who may as well be living in LA in 2022, and a terrible plot all combine to make this almost unwatchable.

Was Willow an ewok? ›

Warwick Davis is Willow, and has played an Ewok in Return of the Jedi, and appears briefly in The Phantom Menace.

Who are the same actors in Willow series? ›

Warwick Davis, the original actor of Willow Ufgood in the 1988 film, reprised his role for the show. Val Kilmer was unable to reprise his role as Madmartigan and his son Jack Kilmer voiced a cameo appearance of the character instead.

How many little people were cast in Willow? ›

According to Warwick Davis, the film had the largest ever casting call for "little people" at the time. Between 225 and 240 actors were hired for the film. Warwick Davis was only 17 years old during the shooting.

Why was Willow canceled? ›

Disney canceled the television series after only one eight-episode season, and then it pulled the show off of Disney+ entirely for cost-cutting measures.

Why did Willow flop? ›

Willow got off to a terrible start right out the gates. The show's tone felt directed at a teenage demographic that doesn't exist—but fits squarely outside the demographic most interested in this kind of fantasy: Kids and their parents.

Who played Willow's wife? ›

Julie Peters as Kaiya Ufgood, Willow's wife and a loving mother who is enthusiastic in caring for Elora.

How is Willow connected to Star Wars? ›

Willow shares many cast and crew members with those of Star Wars productions before and since, including Ron Howard, who went on to direct Solo: A Star Wars Story, which had a cameo by Davis. "Skywalker" is the English translation of the sanskrit word "Daikini," which is the name of Elora Danan's species in the film.

Are the Ewoks child actors? ›

Ewoks were primarily portrayed by actors that were Little People. Little People is the preferred moniker of people of short stature due to more than 300 medical conditions known as dwarfism. Some of the actors portraying Ewoks were children with dwarfism as well. The most featured Ewok is Wicket.

Is Megosh in the new Willow? ›

Meegosh, an endearing character from the original Willow film, was sadly absent from the sequel series due to the death of actor David Steinberg.

Who are the twins in Willow? ›

Danan in the film was initially played by infant twins Kate and Ruth Greenfield. Although credited for the role, they grew too large for the props that held them on Warwick Davis' back, so Rebecca Bearman, niece of second assistant director Gerry Toomey, was used throughout most of the film.

Did Peter Dinklage play in Willow? ›

It's rumored but unconfirmed that Peter Dinklage appeared in the movie as one of the Nelwyns and is believed to be the Nelwyn dressed in pink who is seen with his arms crossed during Willow's disappearing pig trick early in the movie as the unknown actor bears a resemblance to Peter Dinklage.

What happened to Val Kilmer? ›

What happened to Val Kilmer's voice. While in his 50s, Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer that affected his voice. According to The New York Times Magazine, he eventually underwent multiple rounds of intense chemotherapy, radiation, and a surgical procedure called a tracheotomy.

Who played the baby in Willow 1988? ›

Twins Kate and Ruth Greenfield are the only ones credited with playing baby Elora Danan in Ron Howard's 1988 fantasy adventure starring Warwick Davis and Val Kilmer, with a story by George Lucas.

Was the Willow series any good? ›

Critics Reviews

The Disney+ Willow series was a breath of fresh air, harkening back to a bygone era of onscreen epic fantasy more focused on being delightful than profound. Content collapsed.

Why is Willow leaving Disney? ›

Willow was removed from Disney+ earlier this year as part of a cost-cutting measure that saw dozens of shows exit the service, as well as Hulu, on May 26.

What happened to Willow's wife and son in Willow series? ›

In one heartbreaking exchange, we learn that Willow's wife is dead and his son ran away, leaving only father and daughter.

Why is MadMartigan not in Willow series? ›

Including the key character in the series was a conversation from the beginning. However, Val Kilmer, who portrayed Madmartigan in Willow, couldn't make it to Wales for filming. That doesn't rule out some kind of appearance in the future.

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