Warwick Davis starred in the first six Leprechaun films, but didn’t reprise the titular villain role for 2018 sequel Leprechaun Returns. Davis has now been acting steadily in Hollywood for over 35 years, first gaining fame as the lovable Ewok named Wicket in Return of the Jedi, and connected Star Wars material. Davis also played the iconic hero Willow in the 1988 film of the same name, and has gone on to appear as Professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter film franchise.
For horror fans though, the name Warwick Davis conjures up one character only: the Leprechaun. Never given a proper name onscreen, the Leprechaun made his debut in 1993’s original Leprechaun film, opposite future Friends star Jennifer Aniston. After proving popular, the Leprechaun, as played by Davis, went on to star in five further films, one of which saw the creature go to space, and two of which saw him him head to “the hood,” otherwise known as inner city Los Angeles.
In 2014, WWE Films rebooted the Leprechaun franchise with diminutive wrestler Hornswoggle as the villain, but the less said about that entry, the better. In 2018, Leprechaun Returns arrived, which didn’t reboot things again, instead functioning as a direct sequel to the original 1993 film. Actor Linden Porco played the Leprechaun in the generally well-received sequel, but the role could’ve again belonged to Davis if he had wanted it.
Why Warwick Davis Didn’t Star in Leprechaun Returns
As revealed by Warwick Davis himself around the time of Leprechaun Returns’ release in 2018, the actor made the conscious decision to step away from horror after 2003’s Leprechaun: Back 2 Tha Hood, and also declined to participate in Leprechaun Returns. Thankfully, this isn’t because he’s ashamed of his work in the franchise, or has any issues with horror in general. In fact, he’s aware of how many people unabashedly love the Leprechaun movies. Davis just says that having children changed his outlook on performing in the genre a bit, and he still didn’t feel it was the right time to return.
Davis’ children are now 21 and 15, respectively, and when his son turns 18, the actor says he plans to return to accepting horror roles. While some fans may not understand his reluctance to do horror as a father, it’s certainly no one’s decision to make but his own. If and when Warwick Davis does return to horror, it seems likely that Leprechaun fans will still welcome him back into the fold with open arms. After all, he doesn’t seem to have ill will toward the genre or its fans, and even returned to record new bonus materials for the 2014 Leprechaun Blu-Ray box set. No matter what he does in the future, Davis will always be horror’s favorite Leprechaun.
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