
It’s been a tough year for the cast of the Disney Plus series Willow. After its first season streaming on Disney Plus, it was canceled after LucasFilms decided to “reassess its slate” amid cutbacks to make the streaming service more profitable. Apparently, writers had already created a second season for Willow, but actor Val Kilmer was too sick to continue filming, and the rising production costs pushed Disney to decide to cancel the second season. But to add insult to injury for the cast and crew of the show, Disney Plus then decided to remove the show completely from the streaming platform.
But British actor Ralph Ineson, who starred as Commander Ballantine in Willow, was left with a constant reminder of his time on the show. According to court papers filed in the London High Court, actor Ralph Ineson fell during a night shoot and dislocated his shoulder. The fall occurred while Ineson was dressed in knight’s armor for a battle scene against a 9-foot-tall ogre. Ineson claims the resulting shoulder dislocation has limited what kind of roles he can now take on. Parts that require physical activity, such as fighting or horseback riding, are impossible due to the injury. He is seeking $190,500 in damages from the Walt Disney Company.
Ineson has had a long career, taking on numerous roles in television and film. His big break came in the early 2000s when he co-starred with Ricky Gervais in the British version of The Office. In 2012, Ineson played Dagmer Cleftjaw. He is probably known to American audiences as Amycus Carrow in three Harry Potter films. Willow was not the first time that Ineson worked with Disney. He played Ravager Pilot in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Senior First Order Officer in Star Wars: Episode VII– The Last Jedi.
In his lawsuit, Ineson claims that producers did not properly clean the area where he was working, and the race to complete production in a timely manner forced producers to overlook specific safety measures.
The television show Willow is a follow-up of the 1989 Ron Howard film starring actor Warwick Davis. The show cost Disney more than $100 million to film and only lasted six months on the streaming service. So, it seemed logical that Disney CEO Bob Iger would pull the plug.
Besides his work with Disney and in the Harry Potter series, Ineson also started in Game of Thrones, Ready Player One (2018), The Northman (2022), and is currently in The Creator (2023). For most of his career, Ineson has played minor characters whose roles required them to fight or do extreme stunts. He claims the injuries he suffered on the set of Willow prohibit him from taking those roles anymore, damaging his career.
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