Thirty-four years after Willow Ufgood first protected baby Elora in 1988’s Willow, the new Disney+’s limited series Willow has returned us to the universe . While the show sees Warwick Davis’ return as the titular character and Ron Howard is on board as a producer, there’s also tons of new talent that came with the show, including none other than beloved actor Christian Slater. Despite his notoriety, this is no timid role, and he walked away with a few battle scars from set.
We spoke with Slater at the red carpet world premiere for Willow, and he revealed the following about an injury he sustained while filming one of the show’s many fight scenes:
It's pretty intense. I mean, they had a great team. We did a lot of choreography, of course. I mean, that was... it was a lot of work. I mean, I did get a black eye. Yeah. For real. I mean, one of those fight scenes, I didn't realize it until I went back to the makeup trailer and was trying to wipe this thing off and it wasn't coming off. So, yeah, there were some cuts and bruises and yeah, it was a tough show to do, but it was worth it. I mean, I really did love it. And I'm glad that you saw it and you feel good about it.
There are worse on-set injuries than a black eye, but it is pretty hilarious that Christian Slater was so caught up in the scene he didn’t notice getting hit hard enough that a bruise would form. Imagine going to remove your set makeup only to realize it was an actual black-and-blue mark.
In the series, Slater’s character Allagash is no stranger to fighting, and the moment we meet him he’s already embroiled in action. As the actor himself said, it was a lot of work, but he is proud of what was accomplished.
Ever since the epic first Willow trailer was released, people have been stoked on the resurgence of the fantasy universe. While Disney+ may seem like an odd platform to some, the producers have assured audiences that it makes all the sense in the world. For a long time, director John M. Chu was on board to lead the project. Although that didn’t come to fruition, even he has given the show his stamp of approval, calling showrunner Jake Kasdan to weigh in after leaving the project.
As previously noted, Ron Howard – the director of the original Willow – is behind the scenes on the series as a producer while Warwick Davis returns to lead the cast. But Davis and Christian Slater aren’t the only noteworthy names involved. It boasts a stellar cast that includes the return of Kevin Pollack as Rool, as well as Tony Revolori and a slew of other talent that you’ve likely seen before.
You can watch Willow on Disney+ right now, and you can also check out the video of our interviews with Jake Kasdan and the entire cast. If fantasy isn’t your thing, not to worry, as there’s plenty more streaming content to come throughout December on Disney+.
