The fact that he got to play Chewie in so many scenes was a powerful thing for him, but Peter was often there while Joonas was doing this, almost as a consultant." "He had this love and respect and connection for this character of Chewie all his life. About working with Joonas Suotamo, he had this to say. Abrams was quite happy with the actor's performance. That's for people to guess and figure out." Though, the new Star Wars alum won't divulge just how much screen time he gets in the final cut of the movie. Most Chewbacca scenes were shot twice, once with Peter Mayhew in his suit, and then again with Joonas Suotamo. Before being called to set each day, Joonas Suotamo would study his Chewbacca movements in a mirror. He was on set alongside Peter Mayhew, and the two talked for hours about all the intricacies that went into playing such an iconic character as Chewbacca. The actor worked in costume for five months. It wasn't until then that he was confirmed for the part. In April of 2014, Joonas Suotamo finally met with director J.J. So playing Chewbacca is something I've always prepared myself for, unknowingly." "At basketball practice, I was the one who would always mimic the style of my teammates. He studied Chewbacca's moves the same way he studied his fellow athletes on the court. Once he knew he was playing Han Solo's first mate, he went back and studied Peter Mayhew's performance, perfecting the role. "I took three trips there, and on the first time I got more details and realized what my role would be." It wasn't until he visit production headquarters in that he discovered what was going on. With the storyline constantly evolving throughout production, the basketball player-turned-actor thought he was in the running to play a new character. His dad used to show him the originals when he was a kid.
Joonas Suotamo was a lifelong Star Wars fan, and he always wanted to be Luke Skywalker. "When I got the first few documents to sign, I could decipher it was 'Star Wars."
WHO DIES IN THE STAR WARS THE FORCE AWAKENS MOVIE MOVIE
At the time, he had no idea that the movie he was trying out for was Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
He had his girlfriend film the performance. He reveals that he was told to send in an audition tape doing a caveman impression. It was in 2013 that he got word from his Finnish basketball coach that a movie production was looking for a blue-eyed 7 foot tall actor. Joonas Suotamo doesn't quite match Peter Mayhew's height at 6-foot-11. But I just didn't believe my chances to get any acting part were possible because of my size, so I studied more behind the camera." About taking on this new profession, he had this to say to Business Inisder. He always wanted to be an actor, but his large size was a detriment to his burgeoning craft. The athlete graduated from Penn State with a film degree. He continued the sport for his hometown club team in Espoo, located just outside Helsinki. They eventually landed on Joonas Suotamo, who attended Penn State from 2005 to 2008, where he played basketball. Star Wars: The Force Awakens casting directors set out to find a blue-eyed 7-foot-2 actor who matched Peter Mayhew's stature, which was no easy task. And they needed someone much younger to carry out the film's more physical scenes. But given his waning health, Disney and LucasFilm also knew they needed fresh blood, because like C-3PO and R2-D2, Chewbacca is a timeless character who will always be with the franchise. Despite his age, everyone involved with the production knew they needed him involved in some capacity.
At 7-foot-2, Peter Mayhew is now 71-years-old. They went after a mostly unknown to assume the role. But the filmmakers decided to follow the same path they did with their two unmasked leads Daisy Ridley and John Boyega. And unlike replacing Han Solo, this would be a slightly easier task. It was known from the start that a new actor would have to come in and take over for Peter Mayhew. And once you've seen his face, there's no doubt there is something very 'Chewie' about him. Today, we learn from Business Insider that Joonas Suotamo, a 29-year-old basketball player from Finland, suited up to star alongside Harrison Ford in all of the movie's action scenes. Many have speculated that another actor did most of the heavy lifting we see in the movie. The actor, who has starred as Chewbacca in 5 of the 7 Star Wars live-action movies, has had knee problems for the past several years, and always appears in person with his signature lightsaber cane. It is revealed that a basketball player from Finland did most of the heavy lifting for Peter Mayhew in Star Wars 7.Īnyone who has seen Peter Mayhew on the red carpet at various Star Wars: The Force Awakens events may have been wondering how he accomplished some of the bigger stunts in the movie.
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