upfront
WARWICK
DAVIS
Actor Warwick Davis
takes on a task of epic
proportions as his new
venture, The Reduced
Height Theatre Company,
goes on tour with their
inaugural production. He
tells Heather Arnold how
being a short performer
in this world can be a tall
order.
“
Whatever happens to you in life, remain
true to what you are. That’s a very important
lesson, it’s what George Lucas told me, he
said that as you become more and more
well known that your life will change and people’s
reaction will change; stay true to yourself and
don’t believe the hype. Very wise words. He was
a little like my Yoda.”
Staying true to himself is something that actor
Warwick Davis has certainly stuck to in his three
decades in film and TV. Davis’ career began in
1983 (when he was just 11 years old) after his
grandmother heard a radio advert calling for actors
who were 4ft tall or shorter to play Ewoks in the
iconic film Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi.
“I’m forever grateful for that moment when my
Grandma told me about the radio commercial,
because it’s lead to everything that I do,” explains
Davis when he looks back at his career’s humble
beginnings, “you don’t really have plans when
you’re 11 − maybe I thought I would be a fireman
or something like that.”
Though Warwick’s acting career wasn’t initially
planned, he has since sculpted his own way through
the world of film and has been able to portray a
number of interesting and diverse characters: not
an easy feat for someone who is 3½ft tall.
Davis was born with a bone disorder that lead to
dwarfism and accounts for his reduced height.
Though he has been lucky enough to get acting roles
in which he isn’t defined by his stature, Davis is
no stranger to the stigma and struggles of reduced
height actors:
“I’ve been offered so many diverse interesting roles
and opportunities in the last few years that have
had nothing to do with my size, but I still think as
short actors we’re still living under the stigma. It’s
something that’s been set up over hundreds of years,
BUZZ 28
back over history, from the court jesters in medieval
times. All of these things add up to the perception
of what a short actor is and what a short actor is
capable of. I think we have to stand up and fight
“George Lucas
was a little like
my Yoda.”
against that − against the perception that a short
actor isn’t up to that much. I started to prove them
wrong in recent years and setting up the Reduced
Theatre Company certainly sets the record straight.
We would like to be compared alongside an averageheight cast.”
Not only has Warwick been given some great roles
to play, highlights include Star Wars, Harry Potter
and Doctor Who, he’s also beginning to create his
own roles with his new venture, The Reduced Height
Theatre Company.
Designed specifically for those of 4ft and under
the new theatre company gives shorter actors the
opportunity to portray the roles they want, and a
creative space in which they are being judged purely
on the size of their talent, rather than just their size.
“The idea of the Reduced Height Theatre Company
also comes from celebrating other short actors who
never have an opportunity to show off what they can
do. That’s really the ethos behind it, to celebrate that
talent without making reference to the actors’ size.”
To showcase this talent the RHTC’s chosen inaugural
production is See How They Run: a hilarious farce
that follows a series of misfortunes and confusions
taking place in the village vicar’s living room.
“In See How They Run none of the humour derives
from us being short,” explains Davis; “it comes
from what we do in it. It’s about the play and the
characters, about pulling off a very good rendition
of a play which has been performed many times
since it was written in 1945.”
See How They Run, New Theatre, Cardiff,
Tues 6-Sat 10 May. Tickets: £8.50-£27
/£5-£23.50 conc (Tue-Fri performances
only). Info: 029 2087 8889 / www.
newtheatrecardiff.co.uk