“Wow. Suddenly I feel responsible for fans all over the world. I’ve got to do a good job here.”

So said actor Warwick Davis when asked to sum up his reaction to being on set for the first day of filming the Disney+ series“Willow.”The show, spanning eight weekly episodes beginning Wednesday, Nov. 30, sees Davis reprise the role of Willow Ufgood, a character he first played in the 1988 Lucasfilm feature of the same name.

That project, born from the mind of George Lucas and directed by Ron Howard, certainly had the pedigree to go with its premise about a diminutive would-be wizard drafted into battle against a tyrannical empress, but its failure to light up the box office extinguished any franchise hopes — until the opportunities offered by Disney+.

Davis, who was only 17 while making the original but already a veteran actor thanks to appearances in “Return of the Jedi” and a pair of “Ewoks” TV movies, didn’t savor the full scope of the project until later.

“It was only beyond the film that I realized, looking back, ‘Wow, that was a big deal for me,’ ” he told The Chronicle during a recent video interview.

Review: Warwick Davis plays Yoda to young cast’s epic drama in ‘Willow’ sequel

而续集从未兑现,actor learned firsthand during the intervening decades that the audience for more “Willow” was there — and growing. “Parents started to show their kids the movie, and it was this kind of generational hand-on film that people enjoyed sharing with people they loved,” Davis said. “That’s really the fan base that developed and the ones that had the loudest voices in asking for more ‘Willow.’ ”

Show developer and executive producer Jonathan Kasdan was part of that fan base as well, crediting his experience seeing “Willow” in theaters as a child as a formative moviegoing moment.

“The movie was riveting from start to finish,” Kasdan said in a separate interview. “It was emblematic of the power of big movies, of event movies in a time when there weren’t that many of them.”

The sequel series follows Willow Ufgood — now a far more proficient magician than when audiences saw him last — returning to aid the kingdom of Tir Asleen at a desperate hour, alongside a cast of new and returning characters. For Davis, once initial jitters subsided, it was easy to disappear back into the part.

“He’s a more worldly character. He’s been through a lot in his own life, as I have as a person as well. And you bring all of that to the table, you layer it onto the character and you end up with this new incarnation of him,” Davis said.

This is a story Kasdan spent much of his childhood and adulthood hoping to tell, but it wasn’t until 2018’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” which Kasdan co-wrote with his father, Lawrence, that things began to come together for a “Willow” follow-up.

“It seemed like fate was on our side because Warwick first came into my life when he worked with us on ‘Solo’; then Ron came in and worked with us on ‘Solo,’ and they were both as passionate as I was about the movie and seemed to understand its particular power, that it was so special in its time and moment, both as a big fantasy with some really scary stuff in it and as a very human, personal, funny story,” Kasdan said.

While Davis is back, as well as Joanne Whalley playing warrior-turned-queen Sorsha, one character sadly absent from the roster is Val Kilmer’s roguish swordsman Madmartigan. Kilmer’s recent health struggles made him unable to participate in the reunion, but Davis has nothing but praise for his friend and co-star.

“When things were physically tough and I was ready to throw in the towel, Val was there with a joke and some support.” Davis said. “We were in touch during the making of the series as well. There wasn’t a day that went by where I didn’t think of Val and wished he was with us.”

Taking stock of this project and going back to one of his most beloved onscreen personas, Davis grows reflective.

“我知道很多人会看ing at this and expecting great things from it and from me as well, so I felt the pressure of doing the series, but fortunately now I’m a bit older and I’ve been acting quite a few years now, over 40 years. So, I’ve had a lot of experience and know how to shoulder that responsibility.”

As to whether he can envision suiting up again for more “Willow” adventures after this, Davis is cautious, but optimistic.

“It’s weird to talk about more ‘Willow’ already, when we haven’t really unleashed the series on the world yet,” he said. “But of course we all had a blast working together on it and we’d love to rekindle that. Next time around, I’d love for Val to be part of it in a big way.”

“Willow”(TV-14) premieres with two episodes Wednesday, Nov. 30. Subsequent episodes released Wednesdays through Jan. 11.