Warwick Davis has a gentle spot for the late Val Kilmer, with whom he costarred within the 1988 fantasy film Willow.

“He is actually the rationale I obtained by way of the making of the movie Willow,” Davis informed Leisure Weekly on Wednesday on the opening of Common Epic Universe in Orlando. “As a result of if ever I used to be drained, exhausted, fed up, chilly, he’d say, ‘Come on, hold going!’ And he’d be the type of chief of the military, preserving us going. He was a lovely man.”

Davis defined that he tells as many individuals as he can about what he noticed in The Doorways star.

“I all the time like to inform the world how nice he was, as a result of I typically assume the media gave the mistaken impression of who he was as an individual,” Davis mentioned. “He was a really heat, beneficiant, kind-hearted particular person.”

Willow was an action-fantasy film, directed by Ron Howard and produced by George Lucas, that informed the story of Davis’ titular character defending a child from an evil queen. Kilmer performed the a part of disgraced knight Madmartigan, who befriends the younger farmer. Joanne Whalley, whom Kilmer later married and had two kids with earlier than divorcing in 1996, costarred within the movie, in addition to Kevin Pollak and the late Billy Barty.

It was a success on the international field workplace, grossing almost $140 million, 4 instances its reported $35 million finances. The film additionally earned Oscar nominations for each sound and visible results.

The beloved story was resurrected for a 2022 Disney+ collection, with Davis once more within the lead function. Kilmer was struggling together with his well being, although, so he was unable to take part. Everybody concerned was disenchanted, as each the present and Kilmer had needed it to occur.

“We began constructing out the primary season with the intent of getting him seem,” showrunner Jonathan Kasdan informed EW in November 2022. “[It wasn’t clear we couldn’t get him] till fairly late within the course of, frankly.”

The present was canceled after a single season.

Need extra film information? Join Entertainment Weekly‘s free publication to get the most recent trailers, superstar interviews, movie critiques, and extra.

Kilmer died April 1 of pneumonia at age 65. The star of movies together with Prime Gun, Warmth, and Tombstone had been identified with throat most cancers in 2014.

The actor, who additionally took a flip as Bruce Wayne in Batman Ceaselessly, was remembered by colleagues, together with his Willow director Howard, who praised his “superior vary”; his Prime Gun costar Tom Cruise, who mentioned Kilmer had a “stunning” reward and was a “pricey pal”; and his Batman Ceaselessly costar Jim Carrey, who known as the actor a “generational expertise.”