I've worn enough prosthetic makeup now to kind of understand what works and what doesn't, and if I feel something's going to be restrictive for me as a performer, then I might mention, “Well, could we perhaps thin this area out a little bit, because I feel like you get more of a performance through it.” It's a collaboration really. The whole kind of Marvel/DC world. “I think he deserves a little bit more. Of all the roles you have played over the years, do you have a favorite souvenir from any movie that you’ve held onto? News, photos, videos and full episode guide. His first significant role was as Wicket the Ewok in Return of the Jedi. There has to be a bodysuit of some sort. You were also recently in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as your Return of the Jedi character, Wicket the Ewok. Who would know we'd have Star Wars stories; who would know we'd have a Mandalorian TV series and lots more exciting things to come. There were a lot of questions, but there were never any answers. In this exclusive excerpt from part two of Star Wars Insider’s in-depth interview with Warwick Davis, the actor reveals how he found himself returning to the galaxy far, far away…. I don't think we're ever gonna see those techniques go away. The experience I had on Solo was so fantastic anyway, but I think there's sort of an intrigue to that character. Smaller servers, CAD design, and other things can actually now compress all of this stuff into a very small space that an actor can wear. You know, you’ve played all these iconic characters in fantasy and sci-fi, but you’ve never played a superhero. So that was when we named him, in the mixing room at Abbey Road Studios. Davis continued the role as Wicket in the made-for-TV movies Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, and had four brief uncredited appearances in The Phantom Menace—one as Wald, the young Rodian friend of Anakin Skywalker; the other as Weazel, one of the gamblers at the podrace. There's a big team, and I'm just one of those people in that team. So you have to look at it in that way. You’ve done Willow (1988) since Return of the Jedi and now I’ve stuck you back in a rubber head again. Has life been good for Ewoks or not? Among his most recent credits, Warwick has acted as game show host for a new series of Celebrity Squares, currently hosts regular TV quiz show Tenable, and has just finished filming Maleficent 2. But the same with the makeup as well. Fortunately, I had some old photos of me on set where you could see underneath the costume when I'd maybe pulled the fur down a little bit to cool off. Young Davis, during the filming of Return of the Jedi. As a boy, Warwick Davis had lived the Star Wars dream, starring as Wicket the Ewok in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) and two made-for-TV spin-off movies. Continuing the trend of playing aliens whose names begin with the letter ‘W’, Davis played Wodibin, who can be seen in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo, about 18 seconds into the Canto Bight scene as a reptilian alien gambler. I really appreciate it. So I’m guessing you’re also personally enthusiastic about the idea? I'm just grateful that people still ask me to do movies. And the Willow wand always reminds me of that. The look then kind of dictated itself based on an older version of the character. When is the Star Wars Rogue One Cassian Andor series coming to Disney Plus? Davis, a Star Wars and Celebration icon, will make his triumphant return to the main Celebration Stage in Chicago, where he will welcome some of the biggest stars of the show for intimate conversations, thrilling announcements, and other revelations. It's given me a career, one that I consider to be quite successful. You usually get so much information from the script. The incomparable Warwick Davis, who most recently graced the screen as Weazel in Solo: A Star Wars Story, has announced he will once again join fans for Star Wars Celebration Chicago! English actor Warwick Davis was born in Epsom, Surrey, England, the son of Susan J. Don't Crash: The Documentary of the Making of the Movie of the Book of the Radio Series of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', Making of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', The 10th Kingdom: The Making of 'The 10th Kingdom', From 'Star Wars' to 'Jedi': The Making of a Saga, Jenny McCarthy/Gabriel Iglesias/Switchfoot, Tobey Maguire/Chris Colfer/Rickie Lee Jones. Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, Horrible Histories: The Movie - Rotten Romans, Vault of the Macabre Presents the Witching Hour, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. While we were there I said to George, “Is there a connection between your name and Wicket’s name, in that yours is George W. Lucas and his is Wicket W. Warwick?” He didn’t answer, but what he did say was, “We need to give your character in The Phantom Menace a name beginning with ‘W.’”. I originally played the character when I was 11. Who knew he would get the chance to come back? It's a pretty intense costume, even by your standards. The issue also includes an interview with director of photography David Tattersall on bringing Star Wars back with Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, and there’s also a tour of the top five galactic watering holes, along with a visit to the outer rim world of Batuu. Stay tuned to StarWars.com for more Star Wars Celebration Chicago updates! And for me, sitting in the makeup chair for three-and-a-half hours, watching myself slowly transforming is really part of getting into character. Davis began his Star Wars career when only 11 years old, in the original trilogy’s Return of the Jedi, after his grandmother heard a radio advertisement looking for people who were 4 foot tall or shorter to star in the movie. Well, a great many. In addition to his acting career, Davis is the co-founder of the talent agency Willow Management, founded in 1995. Visit StarWarsCelebration.com for tickets and more info! I mean he's older, he's wiser -- has he learned to become a sorcerer? Who knows. It specializes in representing actors under five feet tall. Davis played Weeteef Cyu-bee in Disney’s first Star Wars spin-off, a member of Saw Gerrara’s Partisans who engage in missions too brutal for the Rebel Alliance. HBOLAT (525), 40 Actors Unrecognizable in Prosthetic Makeup: From Colin Farrell to Idris Elba (Photos), WarnerMedia Acquires ‘Master Moley,’ Starring Warwick Davis, Gemma Arterton, for Boomerang (Exclusive), 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The Making Of Leprechaun, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, 'Star Wars' References and Easter Eggs in 'Solo', 13 Important Things to Know From Star Wars Celebration, What You Missed at the 'Star Wars' 40th Anniversary Panel at Star Wars Celebration, Live-action Hotel Transylvania cast and crew. He has interviewed many of the stars of Star Wars including Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Jeremy Bulloch, Peter Mayhew, Kathleen Kennedy, Dave Filoni, and many others. The iconic character actor talks Ewoks, Willow, Maleficent, and other roles Tom Hanks wishes he could play. We were trying different things, making drawings, and throwing ideas into the hat — scars and lenses, shaved head, all sorts of things — until someone picked out a picture of Weazel and said he looked kind of cool. The internet has got a little bit ahead of us here. Thanks for talking about that and opening up. Now I feel, as an actor, I've learned a lot over the years. And I'd like to know what he got up to between Phantom Menace and Solo. It's tricky. When I did the movie I was 17, and it was a steep learning curve to play the character. Davis was born with the condition spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenital (SED), which caused his dwarfism. He’s returned to the galaxy far, far away several times, with appearances in various roles in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Solo: A Star Wars Story. But yeah, I gave it a bit of thought, but I didn't need to dig too deep, because I didn't need to be too informed for what we ended up doing in the movie. That was the future. I can keep the tools in there, or I can have my gloves there, or whatever. That was the message behind Willow: The power to control the universe is within you. Cyu-bee is a bald, bearded humanoid alien who can be seen fighting Imperial walkers and tanks with Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor on Jedha. Everything's possible within the Star Wars galaxy, and we've seen that. He went from a gambler to a freedom fighter, trying to help Enfys make a difference. Star Wars Celebration // DECEMBER 18, 2018. We have some photos of my own collection. My favorite thing is the wand from Willow; it's on the wall of my office. There's no law that says somebody's going to call you up and say, “Will you be in my movie?” However successful you are, how ever many movies you've done, you never know if there's going to be another one. But yeah, whether there are any existing superheroes that haven't been brought to the screen yet, that would be something I could do, or whether we've got to come up with something, I don't know. That's what I learned over the years. I shouldn't do that. But the questions always helped me figure out where I am with the story. Battlefront II Updates, A Look Into Poe Dameron's Past, and More! So, last question: You’ve done a lot of work in makeup and other practical costumes, but you’ve also performed as plenty of characters using CGI and motion capture. I mean, I think as you're an actor with more experience, you become more confident in actually saying to the people designing the makeup or the costumes: Could we do this perhaps? So whenever somebody asks me, I relish the opportunity, and I actually savor every moment on set, thinking, This is brilliant. Star Wars Celebration Chicago will take place April 11-15 at McCormick Place. The little accessories, the goggles, the tools, the gloves, all of the things that Lickspittle has. Ron Howard was an integral part of my being able to do it. Plus, there’s still time to submit your answers to Insider’s Skywalker Saga Galactic Survey, which closes on September 10! As a boy, Warwick Davis had lived the Star Wars dream, starring as Wicket the Ewok in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) and two made-for-TV spin-off movies. I'll look at roles and think, Oh, that's a great part; wouldn't that be a dream role to have? Or having known the character from reading the script, this might be useful or whatever. (Pain) and Ashley Davis, an insurance broker. He's got a family and stuff. Warwick Davis: There came a point in the early 1990s when George Lucas first mentioned the prequel trilogy, telling the origins of Anakin, and I sent a few faxes to him. Warwick Davis: No, not at all. You know, I think a lot of what we see in Star Wars now, people might assume it's CG, but in fact, these were all real, created by brilliant people with a lot of time and patience. Richard E. Grant gets emotional over Star Wars.