The new Disney Plus sequel series Willow features a number of stars from the original film, but a few of them may come as an interesting surprise. Along with several of the lead actors from the 1988 cult classic of the same name, the newly-released series also boasts cameos from the 3 now-grown women who collectively portrayed baby Elora Danan in the film.
The original film saw Warwick Davis as the titular Willow charged with protecting the prophesized child Elora in order to save the world from an evil sorceress. In that film, 3 different babies played the infant princess, which tends to be common practice due to a number of reasons (including child labor laws). In this case, those 3 were Kate Greenfield, Ruth Greenfield, and Rebecca Bearman. But now, 34 years later, Willow showrunner Jonathan Kasdan has managed to locate all 3 of them to make small appearances in the series, and it looks like the effort has paid off.
"Three little kids played that part over the course of the movie," Kasdan explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "We called all of them. And one of them got a call at like four in the afternoon in her flat outside of London. She answered the phone, and it was like, 'Excuse me, is this so-and-so?' And they were like, 'Yes.' And they were like, 'Were you by any chance the baby in Willow?' She's like, 'Yes.' They're like, 'Well, we'd love to have you come and be in the show.'" It sounds a bit mundane when put like that, but it got the job done, as Kasdan added, "she's in the opening sequence in the village. You see her walking by, carrying a basket of bread."
The new Willow series sees Davis back in the title role as Willow Ufgood, the respected hero of the first film now living a relatively quiet life before finding himself leading another quest. This time, a new generation of heroes joins the cause, including Princess Kit (Ruby Cruz), the knight-in-training Jade (Erin Kellyman), and even Elora herself (now played by Ellie Bamber). Along with other returning stars like Joanne Whalley as Sorsha (now a queen), the series also features plenty of new faces front and center. Even Christian Slater is set to join Willow as Allagash, a friend of Val Kilmer's Madmartigan.
While many years have passed since he saved Princess Elora and the world, she still plays a crucial role in the series. "That baby provided somewhere for the story to go in a way that I've always sought with these sequels," Kasdan said of his plans for the series. "I always ask, 'Is there a reason to keep telling it?' And I was curious what happened to that child and what she would do with that power." While Willow's new quest is currently focused on finding the kidnapped Prince Airk (Dempsey Bryk), Elora's own journey plays a big part in the story as well.
There's already a lot to love about the new Willow series, and the respect for what came before is certainly part of it. Here's hoping the series can keep that quality going forward, but also manage to find its own identity as well.
Willow drops new episodes every Wednesday on Disney Plus.
Source: Entertainment Weekly