Size Matters: Warwick Davis sounds off on “Snow White and The Huntsman” casting

Warwick Davis has portrayed many iconic roles over the years including: Professor Filius Flitwick, Griphook (DH), and the Head Grigotts Bank Teller (PS/SS) for the Harry Potter film franchise; as well as key roles in Willow; the Leprechaun films; and of course Star Wars. But, Warwick is unhappy with the filmmakers for the recently released movie Snow White and the Huntsman.

Snow White and the Huntsman by Universal Pictures, used actors that were digitally altered to appear shorter to play the roles of the Dwarves of Snow White instead of utilizing the talents of Little People actors. Davis called this snubbing “inexcusable.”

Davis has been a leader in the acting world for Little People and has his own company, Little People UK – an organization for little people and families affected by dwarfism. Davis was in charge of assembling the 60 actors to portray the goblins working at Gringotts Bank during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.

Davis spoke to E! Online saying:

“Considering the vast experience of many short actors working in the film industry today, I think it inexcusable that in casting for Snow White & the Huntsman, producers did not utilise this pool of talent. My colleague Peter Dinklage won an Emmy for his performance in Game of Thrones, proving that short actors need roles that will not only challenge them, but allow them to express themselves as actors in their own right. It is not acceptable to ‘black up’ as a white actor, so why should it be acceptable to ‘shrink’ an actor to play a dwarf?”

A spokesman for Universal Pictures studio called the move “a casting decision, not a body-type decision. They (the actors playing the dwarves) came with pedigrees and recognizability.”

Where would some of the greatest films in franchise history such as Harry Potter and Star Wars be without the acting abilities of someone like Warwick Davis?