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Joonas Suotamo is a Finnish player and former professional basketball player . Known for his extraordinary top , he serve well as a body double for Peter Mayhew inStar Wars : The Force Awakens . Suotamo then reprised the role inStar war : The Last Jedi , with Mayhew as a advisor . Now he will be reprising his office as Chewbacca inSolo : A Star Wars Story , which premieres on May 25 , 2018 .
Screen Rant got a chance to speak with Joonas Suotamo on press day , where we discussed the his fervor about taking over the role from the legendary Peter Mayhew and bringing a new physicality to the role .
SR : This pic is unbelievable . carrying out is incredible . I love seeing Chewbacca fulfill Han for the first prison term . It ’s something that I ’ve always ideate in my head , but this played out a lot good on screen . You ’re occupy over for the unbelievable Peter Mayhew . It ’s incredibly with child shoes to replete figuratively and literally . What do you want to contribute to Chewbacca his legacy ?
Joonas Suotamo : I want to bring those stories that we ’ve heard about . I wanna to give them a nod , but also I know that closed book is good , so perhaps we should n’t hear to show all those , uh , legend and bring him to the screen , but rather introduce a rich part behind Chewbacca and show him in more escapade . So I ’m wanting to , uh , to , uh , show a slew more Chewbacca .
SR : So speaking of more adventures , Chewbacca is implausibly old . He ’s at least in this part of the picture show ’s over 150 years one-time . What do you want to see . . .well , first of all , are there any succeeding instalment , any plan for Chewbacca going forward ? In these sort of anthology motion-picture show ?
Joonas Suotamo : I guess we ’re just have to wait and see .
SR : Good answer .
Joonas Suotamo : Yeah , I ’m very much open to it because I love this fibre . I love the reaction mass have to it and how kids take them . Uh , yeah .
SR : Now , where would you want to see Chewbacca go personally next ?
Joonas Suotamo : I think I wanted to see , I want to see Chewbacca just , uh , in the most heroic adventure and I think we ’re , yeah , we have , we already have one in this film , but on to the next one . I would say .
SR : So Chewbacca in this flick has a scene where he sets other Wookiees loose and in the holiday special he has , Mala , his married woman , is Mala one of those quality that he set free .
Joonas Suotamo : Uh , I ca n’t , I do n’t . Um , we have to await and see because I ’m not certain I understand . Um , I intend , uh , I remember , yeah , Chewbacca has a capacity for good and uh , he ’s gon na eventually , you ’re given , give him enough prison term . He ’s pass to do everyone spare .
SR : The advantage of casting a young Chewbacca is you could bring more of a physicality to the role . Can you talk to me about some of the challenges are , or even a draw of the stunt that you had to do a performing Chewbacca and this film ?
Joonas Suotamo : Yeah , I think of , uh , we started two months ago or two month before shoot . We started stunt rehearsals and going through all the kinds of scrap , thing that are moves that he could do and a peck of it made it into the film .
SR : Really ?
Joonas Suotamo : Yeah and it ’s just bang-up to see his persuasiveness , uh , in the fight and uh , and just bring it all together as a wholesome character .
SR : Now with this moving-picture show , I ’ve noticed that it seemed like everything was more hard-nosed . The sets , you know , everything else was more practical . Even the aliens were like puppeteering where it ’s more practical . How does that facilitate you as a performing artist ?
Joonas Suotamo : It ’s so easy to fly the Millennium Falcon when you see what you ’re flying into , when the rocks are coming at you and you ’re just fly , flying , flying , and the fishing rig moves and everything , everything , all the aliens . You know , they , they had animatronic timbre to them . The brute effects section is such a heavy place to just go tramp and look at what they ’re doing because they ’re incessantly contribute new creatures to these motion picture and uh , I love it .
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