With its swashbuckling tone and George Lucas-penned story, Ron Howard’s 1988 movie Willow was always on the family-friendly end of the fantasy scale — aquaint adventure in which Warwick Davis’ burgeoning wizard has to save a magical baby from an evil queen’s wrath. Now, 34 years later, Davis is back in Disney+’s Willow sequel series, set to bring the saga to a whole new generation. Fittingly, the show is a family affair — Willow’s daughter in the series is played by Annabelle Davis, Warwick’s own real-life child.
“Since she’s been old enough, Annabelle’s been forging her own career as an actress,” he tells Empire. “To get her on to Willow and have her play my daughter was really wonderful. We had some great scenes together, and Jon [Kasdan, who co-developed the show] has already said that he sees a future for the character.” It’s not just Annabelle — Davis’ son Harrison features in the series, too. “He’s 19 now. He’s exactly the same height and build as me, he walks the same as me — he’s my perfect stunt double,” Davis explains. “So any time Dad looked a bit decrepit and like he’d get injured, it was, ‘Come on, Harrison, your turn to step up to the plate!’”