Warwick Davis On Doctor Who And Star Wars Sequels
The Willow star hopes the tactic he used to land a part in the Cybermen episode will work again for the Star Wars sequels
Warwick Davis has revealed that appearing in the upcoming Doctor Who episode with the Cybermen was a career highlight.
“I mean, it was an exciting moment to come face-to-face with one of those dudes. Seriously, it was a great thrill. I mean, it was a great thrill to be in Doctor Who . A career ambition. But to be in an episode written by Neil and to have Cybermen in it, was for me the jackpot.
“Matt Smith is amazing. These guys, they work so hard on that show. And Matt. He learns lines so fast. Scripts are given to him last minute and they’ll go straight from one episode to the next one the next day and he’s remembered it. But he’s so full of energy and spark and imagination. You read the scene on the page and you think, that’s a good scene, but Matt gets hold of it and it’s like, ‘Wow, that’s incredible.’”
He’s also happy to add himself to the list of classic Star Wars actors who’d love to appear in the upcoming Disney sequels.
“The things is, years ago, when the prequels were happening I knew who to get onto – I could get onto George. But I don’t know who to drop hints to now. So I’m using journalists like yourself to drop hints into interviews and hopefully eventually it’ll filter back to them. That’s my plan at the moment. That’s the tactic I used on Doctor Who , and it’s worked.”
So what would he like to play? He has the advantage of not being associated with one particular character in the franchise and usually (one brief moment aside) with his face disguised by a costume or make-up, so he could come back as… well, anything.
“I want to play a villain. Somebody on the dark side. A lightsaber would be nice. Doesn’t have to be a huge part. And somebody that’s short as well. That’s the criteria.”
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Dave is a TV and film journalist who specializes in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He's written books about film posters and post-apocalypses, alongside writing for SFX Magazine for many years.