Size Matters Not

Size Matters Not: The Extraordinary Life and Career of Warwick Davis




When someone as talented and amazing as Warwick Davis comes out with an autobiography, I don’t even stop to think about the purchase. How could I not buy this?

Who is Warwick Davis, you ask?

(Although, I don’t know why you would. Everyone should know who Warwick Davis is.)

Warwick Davis is an actor with a slew of iconic roles under his belt. You’ve seen him as Wicket the Ewok, Willow, the Leprechaun, Marvin the Paranoid Android, Professor Flitwick, and loads of other roles that are memorable. These characters are as distinctive as they are varied, and Warwick Davis is one of those actors who can take any role and make it his own.

Can you tell I’m a fan? Yeah. Thought so. Star Wars and the Ewok movie Caravan of Courage were a huge part of my childhood. I was Ewok sized at the time, you see, and I’ve always loved atypical aliens, so naturally I would pretend I was part of some distant tribe as I frolicked around the woods. Star Wars was also the first thing that I saw where I actively sought out other work that the actors had done. Warwick is an actor that I could find in movies easily before the popularity of the internet and even now I am discovering that he’s played characters in movies that I love but had no idea he was in.

Of course I would find his autobiography exciting.

Oddly enough, Warwick’s roles as an actor and how he got them weren’t the most fascinating parts of this book. They played a healthy role and I do always love to learn how people get these kinds of roles, but to be completely honest, I was most enthralled with Warwick’s stories about his everyday life.

Now, at 5’ 6”, I complain about being short. I am one of the shortest members of my family (taller only than my 5’ 1” mother, as far as I’m aware, but I could be mistaken). The Gerglers, especially, are tall folk, with a 5’ 9” aunt being the shortest of my dad’s six siblings. However, while I may be good naturedly laughed at for not being able to reach things on the top shelf without standing on my toes, Warwick’s personal stories gave me a new appreciation for my height. I’ve been taking my “average” size for granted and this book made me think about the things that I don’t have to worry about because I am this size.

But don’t get me wrong. Being a little person certainly didn’t slow Warwick down at all and it opened doors in the acting world that would have otherwise been closed to him. He makes it very clear that he doesn’t view his height as weird or unfortunate; it’s simply a part of who he is and it’s too bad for you if you have a problem with it. I love that. It’s an admirable view and one that has increased my respect for him.

I would recommend this book to anyone. Full stop. If anything I’ve said appeals to you in any way, you should give this a read. The only place I know of to buy this at the moment is Warwick’s website (http://warwickdavis.co.uk) where you can get it signed or dedicated to you.

You can also follow him on Twitter @WarwickADavis, if you are so inclined.