[This story contains spoilers for Willow episode four, “The Whispers of Nockmaar.”]
Tony Revolori never imagined that he’d be playing a prince in the Willow-verse, but he’s certainly here for it.
In Willow, the legacy sequel series to Ron Howard’s 1988 film, the California native plays Graydon, the unconventional prince who’s betrothed to Princess Kit (Ruby Cruz), the daughter of legacy characters Madmartigan (Val Kilmer) and Sorsha (Joanne Whalley). But instead of playing the dashing and courageous prince that has dominated most fantasy stories, Revolori’s character is intelligent and sensitive, often serving as the show’s “group therapist.”
However, in episode four, Graydon’s murky past begins to unveil itself as a flashback revealed that a young Graydon, while possessed by a malevolent force, murdered his older brother. To pull off this sequence, the series cast Revolori’s own brothers, Mario and Benjamin.
“It was a family affair. My brothers played not only the younger version of Graydon [Benjamin Revolori], but his older brother [Mario Revolori] as well,” Revolori tells The Hollywood Reporter. “And it was astoundingly wonderful to have it be a family affair and have my brothers on set with me to see what I do.”
Revolori is also opening up about his desire to learn more about Flash Thompson, beginning with a story point he helped set up in Spider-Man: Far From Home. The 2019 film established that Flash’s parents were largely absent, leading to a moment at the end where Flash’s chauffeur picks him at the airport instead of his own parents. Apparently, the actor who plays Gerald the driver was originally supposed to portray Flash’s father.
“Flash’s driver, Gerald, was actually supposed to play Flash’s father,” Revolori shares. “But the day before, I was having a drink with one of the producers, Chris Buongiorno, and I think I said to him, ‘What if his parents, after all of this, still don’t show up?’ So it ended up being a funny gag, but we shot both versions with that actor as Flash’s father and Flash’s driver. So the driver version ended up being the funny one, and that’s the one they ended up using.”
Revolori is also discussing the inspiration behind Spider-Man: No Way Home’s MIT storyline as MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) didn’t get into the prestigious university due to their association with Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland). And even though Flash wrote a book in which he claimed to be Peter’s best friend, Revolori says that the subplot was saying so much more about class.
“Flash definitely bought his way into the school, and that’s how I was playing it in my mind,” Revolori says. “When we were shooting, the whole college admission scandal was going on as rich parents used bribes to get their kids accepted. So we kind of joked that it was the case for Flash. So I imagined that being the case, and it is a commentary. But what I thought was also great was the fact that Flash is a person of color, so it didn’t need to be a commentary on social economics and race; it just needed to be a commentary on social economics.”
In a recent conversation with THR, Revolori also discusses his busy slate ahead that includes Servant, Scream 6 and Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City.
So of all the things you thought you’d do in this business, playing a prince in the Willow-verse probably wasn’t top of mind, right?
No, definitely not, but I’m very grateful to have the opportunity. It’s always been a dream to play a Disney prince or anything to do with fantasy.
Prince Graydon is betrothed to marry Princess Kit (Ruby Cruz), but neither is into it. He’s also not the stereotypical prince who’s brave and heroic. Instead, he becomes more of a motivator on this group quest, especially for Elora (Ellie Bamber). How do you see him in the early going?
I see him as someone who is stuck between two worlds. He wants to have some adventure, but he’s resigned himself to not being a part of that. Nor does he have any self-belief that he can, at least in the first half. So we slowly see him get more confident and grow into his own. I always wanted to play him with a little bit of bravery deep down, and hopefully audiences fall in love with him on this journey.
I was just really struck by the scene where he tells Elora how special she is. To me, that’s his most endearing scene so far.
Yeah, what makes Graydon so special for this group and so special for a modern fantasy series is that he’s extremely needed without being prototypical. He’s not the most physically gifted of the group, he’s not the sword fighter, but his emotional intelligence and observation helps the group. He’s almost like the group therapist where everyone can have a conversation with him, and he helps get them where they need to be by being a great sounding board. So that’s super interesting to play in general, let alone in a fantasy series that lets us have a little bit more fun with it.
In 104, Graydon is possessed by bad magic, which gives us a look at his backstory. And at first, I thought you shaved your beard to play his older brother, but it turned out to be a family affair for you, right?
(Laughs.) Correct! It was a family affair. My brothers played not only the younger version of Graydon [Benjamin Revolori], but his older brother [Mario Revolori] as well. And it was astoundingly wonderful to have it be a family affair and have my brothers on set with me to see what I do. I obviously didn’t have scenes with my little brother, but getting to have moments with the older one was just so much fun. [Mario] and I used to do commercials together, and we were in a film together years ago. So the fact that it hasn’t happened for a while and we were able to make it happen this time was so much fun.
Between the scarring on Graydon’s chest and killing his older brother, there’s obviously more to him than we first thought. What can you say about this darker side of him?
He’s someone who hasn’t forgiven himself for his past, and he’s kind of traumatized by it. Inherently, Graydon is a good guy who’s done a bad thing, and therefore, he cannot forgive himself for it. So it was really interesting to play someone who has the best intentions, but doesn’t even trust himself. I also wanted to make sure that the darkness didn’t feel like, “Oh, this guy is evil. This guy is bad.” I wanted to make it feel like this guy is complicated. He has good and bad, and he’ll go to both lengths to do what he needs to do, which is different to all the other characters.
With no shortage of fantasy shows right now, what’s your elevator pitch to a younger audience that probably hasn’t seen the original film?
Well, the original film is weirdly modern, even though it was made back in 1988. It has modern storytelling with a wonderful message that anyone and everyone can be the hero. So the elevator pitch for the series would be that this is Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings for a younger audience, except we get to be a little bit more meta and make fun of the genre a little bit. We get to poke fun at all the tropes that you’ve seen before, so this is a fun, comedic version.
So I just saw you pop up in Servant 402, and I love how Tobe is the safety valve of that show. Whenever things are about to boil over, Sean (Toby Kebbell) invites him over to relieve tension and keep an eye on things, but also help in the kitchen. And it also seems like Servant is a very exact and precise set. Even the camera angles and movements feel deliberate in the best way. Would you agree with that?
Absolutely. [M.] Night [Shyamalan] established this visual style for the show to be able to create this tension, and our crew and directors have maintained that, breathing interesting new life into it. But I like to say that I’m a part of a different show. Tobe gets to come in and play house with Leanne [Nell Tiger Free] and the Turners. So even though the show is so dark, I get to be a little bit more fun and bring a little levity to it. I get to be a bright spot and improv a joke or whatever it might be. Of course, I’m grateful for the amazing writing and the opportunity to go further with it, but yeah, everything is very exact. Everyone plays the role as intended, but I think I’m the slight difference as I don’t have to do exactly that.
After season three’s episode “Ring,” are you extra paranoid around garbage disposals now?
(Laughs.) I actually am! I don’t think I’ve used my garbage disposal once.
That’s such a wild episode.
Oh, extremely. That was a fun one, and I got to play with more physical comedy. They know what they’re doing. They know how to make you feel terrified without monsters or jump scares. I just love working on that show because I get to work with Toby Kebbell and Drew DiTomo, who’s our chef supervisor. He teaches us what to do and how to do it correctly, making us look like chefs. So every time I went to that set, I’d learn to make a new dish or a new thing, and I just love it.
Did they use your actual hand for that cool shot inside the garbage disposal?
Yeah, that’s my hand going into it, which was such an interesting shot. They put a garbage disposal filter on top of the camera, and so I leaned back like I was dodging bullets in The Matrix. And then I pushed my hand through into the camera while reaching for the ring. It was such a technical shot, but I’m so happy that you mentioned it. It was filmmaking at the highest level.
In Spider-Man: Far From Home, they seemed to be setting something up involving Flash Thompson’s absentee parents. What did you make of that at the time?
What’s really funny is I’m the one who pitched it. I’m the one who kind of made it happen. In Far From Home, when they all get picked up by their parents, Flash’s driver, Gerald, who’s holding the Thompson sign, was actually supposed to play Flash’s father. But the day before, I was having a drink with one of the producers, Chris Buongiorno, and we were trying to figure out what else could be funny. And I think I said to him, “What if his parents, after all of this, still don’t show up?” So it ended up being a funny gag, but we shot both versions with that actor as Flash’s father and Flash’s driver. So the driver version ended up being the funny one, and that’s the one they ended up using.
And then in post, [when Peter puts on the E.D.I.T.H. glasses], they added Flash’s text to his mother that he hadn’t heard from her or his father. So it ended up being a fun gag, but if those movies do get to continue and they ask me back, I would love to explore it further. I always imagined that they were just rich parents who never really wanted to spend time with their son, but I’ll leave that backstory up to the writers. They know what they’re doing.
In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Ned (Jacob Batalon) and MJ (Zendaya) didn’t get into MIT because they were friends with Peter Parker (Tom Holland), so a number of fans thought they’d found a plot hole with Flash still getting in despite writing a book in which he claimed to be Peter’s best friend. But I always thought the film was commenting on class as Flash could afford the tuition, unlike MJ and Ned, who would’ve needed assistance of some kind.
Absolutely. Not only did Ned, MJ and Peter not get in, but they obviously are from a lower socioeconomic class. So Flash definitely bought his way into the school, and that’s how I was playing it in my mind. When we were shooting, the whole college admission scandal was going on as rich parents used bribes to get their kids accepted. So we kind of joked that it was the case for Flash. So I imagined that being the case, and it is a commentary. But what I thought was also great was the fact that Flash is a person of color, so it didn’t need to be a commentary on social economics and race; it just needed to be a commentary on social economics.
So it works for the story in many different ways, and that’s what I love about these movies. Whether or not the writers were thinking about it this way, there’s so many ways to interpret these films. Even small characters have big implications. To me, Flash is a character that hasn’t been explored as much as I wish, and I want to explore him so badly. He’s a character that I want to do justice by and show more of what his life is like.
You’ve also got Scream 6 coming up in March. What can you tease as far as character or tone?
I’m part of the new group in the franchise, and it’s really fun. I had a lot of great moments filming with all the people, and they’re all wonderful and nice. I was friends with Mason Gooding before this, and he was one of the big reasons why I wanted to do it when they asked. So it was great. I loved the producers and the directors [Radio Silence]. It is an extremely smart, well-written script that blew me away, and I cannot wait for people to see it. God, I wish I could tell you everything, but I don’t want to spoil it for the fans.
If I was an actor, there’d be no greater compliment than a director wanting to work with me again and again, and you obviously have that arrangement with Wes Anderson. You’re a part of his acting company of sorts, and that includes next summer’s Asteroid City. So how good do these return invitations feel?
Incredible. Each time, it feels incredible. It’s always a little bit of a surprise, but I welcome it and do whatever I possibly can to make it work. I love working with him, and I love working with his crew. He’s made it a little family. So every time I go back, I’m so excited to not only see him and work on another amazing project, but to also just see all my friends again. I’ve become close with everyone, such as Sanjay Sami, who’s one of the best key grips in the world. I love that man, dearly. So every time, it’s a big reunion, and I’m blessed. So I hope Wes keeps calling me back. He’s a phenomenal human being on top of being a wonderful director, and that’s why everyone wants to work with him, outside of also making wonderful films.
Decades from now, when you’re reminiscing about the making of The Grand Budapest Hotel, what day will you likely recall first?
Wow, what a wonderful question. There’s forty different ideas going through my head right now, but I had the best time on that movie, first and foremost. I was 16, and everyone was so welcoming and generous with me, not only as performers but as human beings. It was a wonderful experience that I’ll never forget, but the day that I would remember most involves a shift in the character of Zero. He becomes a little bit more confident, and he almost becomes an equal to Gustave [Ralph Fiennes]. It’s kind of towards the end of the film, and they’re sitting in the car outside while Agatha [Saoirse Ronan] is going to get the painting. So Ralph and I were just sitting in the car, and I’ll never forget that. It was shot very early on, and I remember being told by Wes, “You’re equals.” Of course, I don’t know how I could ever feel equal to Ralph Fiennes, but there I was in a little car with him and I had to feel it. And I did. It was wonderful. And he treated me like an equal. So that was the moment where I felt like I could do what I wanted to do in the film.
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Willow is now streaming on Disney+. This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Source: Hollywood
