The Improvised Ewok Moment That Made Warwick Davis A Star Wars Mainstay
As a tiny kid when "Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi" came out, I fell in love with Ewoks. As an adult who frequently talks about "Star Wars," I get a lot of crap for the affection I still have for them. Yeah, they were going to be Wookies at one point, and sure, that would have been cool, but there is something so silly and loveable about seeing these tiny little man-eating teddy bears angrily attacking stormtroopers that just warms my heart. Wicket (Warwick Davis), our Ewok protagonist, is the cutest. It was his mannerisms that got me. The moment he plops down next to Leia (Carrie Fisher) when he realizes she has food still makes me giggle every time I watch — including my viewing for this article five minutes ago.
As it turns out, Warwick Davis said that there was one improvised moment during shooting that really stuck, and made him and his character a huge part of "Star Wars" lore, according to issue 67 of "Star Wars Insider." It even led the production to take Davis to America for the press tour. He also had something to base his movements on, and it's really lovely.
'Maybe it was my own Warwick curiosity'
Davis told the publication that he improvised, particularly in one scene — the scene he credits for getting him on the press tour. He said:
"For some reason, I 'picked up' on R2-D2 [Kenny Baker]. They had him tied up onto some wooden poles, so I went over there on one of the wider shots of the Ewok village and started to have a look at R2-D2. Maybe it was my own Warwick curiosity as much as anything because I was a big 'Star Wars' fan. I don't know if it was that or if I was totally in character — I did feel that an Ewok would be inquisitive about this sort of metallic object.
So I was just naturally curious as a character and also as a young lad as well. And they liked all of this stuff you see, and they'd set up closer shots once they spotted what I was doing. And I think that was one of the reasons I was picked to go over to America."
I remember seeing that moment for the first time, despite my young age. I thought it was like the new characters and accepting the old characters, and I loved it. Whether it was, as Davis mentioned, Wicket's curiosity or his own, his comic timing was impeccable. From the first moment of Wicket's screen time, he just nails it. You immediately know this is supposed to be a funny character from the movements and the speed of his emotional transitions. I was hooked.
'I would use a little bit of that in the performance of Wicket'
That wasn't the only loveable thing Wicket does. Davis also told Star Wars Insider that there was someone else who helped with some of his mannerisms for Wicket. He said:
"I remember thinking about my dog at the time, the way that he would hear a strange sound if you would whistle or something. They tilt their head from side-to-side and perk their ears up, and it's quite cute. I would use a little bit of that in the performance of Wicket."
He does it in the first scene he's in with Leia as he looks at her after her speeder crash. The entire scene feels like trying to win over a hungry puppy, holding out food, the food winning him over, the head tilts that he mentions. You can also see it in the way he moves in that later scene with R2-D2, sort of feeling him out like a puppy might with another dog. It's absolutely perfect. Look, I love Wookiees, too, but I will forever defend my beloved warring teddy bears who eat people. Someone go get Wicket a medal! (And maybe a non-human snack.)
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