From Lucasfilm and Imagine Entertainment comes Willow, an all-new sequel series based on George Lucas' 1988 fantasy-adventure movie of the same name.
It's set to premiere on November 30, exclusively on Disney+, and features the return of the iconic Nelwyn sorcerer played by Warwick Davis, years after he rescued the infant empress Elora Danan. Leading a group of misfit heroes on a harrowing rescue mission through a world beyond imagination, what follows is an action-packed fantastical adventure.
Earlier this month, we sat down to speak with Willow's cast, and were fortunate enough to catch up with Erin Kellyman and Amar Chadha-Patel for a brief chat about their roles as Jade and Boorman.
Erin kicks things off by telling us whether her past experience working on projects like Solo: A Star Wars Story and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier lessened the pressure of joining yet another iconic franchise. Amar, meanwhile, addresses the similarities between Boorman and Madmartigan, and they both finish by reflecting on shooting Willow in Wales.
Oh, and following Jon Kasdan's recent Solo 2 comments, Erin comments on the possibility of one day reprising the role of Enfys Nest in the Star Wars Universe.
Check out our full conversation with the Willow stars in the player below.
Erin, you came into Willow having already been part of huge franchises like Star Wars and Marvel, so did that lessen the pressure at all or was it just a different type of it knowing how much this property means to people?
Erin: Yeah, I don’t think it lessened the pressure at all [Laughs]. I was still very, very nervous. I think the pressure was quickly eased by doing a month of training with everybody. I kind of forgot what we were doing a little bit. It just felt like we were hanging out…I was like, ‘This is kinda nice.’ We were at this resort in Wales and then we started filming and I was saying, ‘Oh my God, what is going on?’ So, yeah, I wouldn’t say it gets less…pressureful?
Amar, there are some similarities on the surface between Boorman and Madmartigan, but your character is very much unique in his own right. How challenging was it to balance the comedic and badass sides of this character similarly, but also differently, to what Val Kilmer once did?
Amar: Yeah, I dunno. I think acting is sort of 80% costume, sets, and writing, and 20% the essence of who you are. I’m characterising a lot, and I was trying to be this larger-than-life, aloof, rogueish pain in the arse as Jon Kasdan has described him. It was very clear that I was inhabiting the archetype, but I didn’t want to step on what Val Kilmer was doing, so I tried to make him my own. I don’t know, but hopefully, I succeeded.
Boorman is such a fun presence here as we don’t know whether he can be trusted or not, so if playing an anti-hero instead of a straightforward do-gooder more fun for you as an actor, Amar?
Amar: Oh, absolutely! I mean, the dream is the villain. Everyone wants to play the villain. Villains are the most complex roles ever, and while he’s not a villain, he’s definitely Machiavellian, and he’s definitely leading Kit on with these crumbs and morsels of information from her past and he’s definitely out there for his own selfish reasons. Then, he really gets to expose himself to this new chosen family and that’s such a three-dimensional thing to play with.
Erin, Jon also wrote Solo, of course, so as someone who would love a sequel, have you both spoken at all about more Enfys Nest?
Erin: I mean, I would love to. There have not been any conversations about it, but I would…yeah, I’d hope into that.
Willow is an epic road trip story in a lot of ways, but what are some of your favourite memories from the time you spent working on the show in Wales?
Amar: I loved the Brecon Beacons. It’s some of the most stunning countryside in the world. Riding through it on horses…I think people get paid to do that, and we got paid to do it!
Erin: Where did we go with…um...
Amar: I need more information.
Erin: It was very flat.
Amar: What are you talking about? Oh! Pendine Sands was this seven-mile-long beach we shot on for some of the later episodes, and that is an astounding place. We were there for a week. It’s stunning.
Erin: It’s so beautiful.
Willow is set to premiere on Disney+ on November 30.