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)
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.”
Eric (played by Dempsey Bryk)
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)
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)
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)
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!”
Boreman (Amar Chadha-Patel)
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…?
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