REBEL ALLIANCE
For one brief, fleeting, photographed moment, I was Chewie’s trusty sidekick
Chewbaacca welcomes a new sidekick in the Millennium Falcon during a promotion for Solo: A Star Wars Story. The experience was out of this world, T’Cha Dunlevy says.
Everything about it screamed cheesy gimmick. And yet I was immediately intrigued.
Checking into the L.A. press junket for Solo: A Star Wars Story, reporters were offered to take in an array of paraphernalia and interactive installations related to the film, from apparel and video games to a VR lightsaber battle with Kylo Ren. But the one that caught my eye — and for which I made an immediate beeline — was the chance to get your picture taken with Chewbacca in the Millennium Falcon cockpit.
Say wha???!!!
Yes, please.
It was early in the day, so there was no line (later that afternoon, I spotted more than a dozen self-respecting members of the media waiting patiently for their chance).
In I went, handed the assistant my cellphone, and slid into the chair next to Chewie. I did a double-take to make sure it wasn’t a stuffed furball — nope, he was moving!
There was no time to discuss poses, not that he would have responded in a language I could easily understand, but an instinctive symbiosis was established, and what began with a few wry nudge-wink, “Hey, look, it’s me and Chewbacca”-style snapshots soon exploded into an all-out Millennium Falcon cockpit party.
As I threw my hands out in a hip-hop pose, Chewie — or the poor hack who had to hang around in his suit all day, indulging the likes of me — threw his arms above his head, gamely.
I will leave to you to decide whether or not that shot is indeed the “best Facebook photo yet,” as one pal enthusiastically opined, when I posted the pic an hour later. What I do know is it captured something that makes me and more than 200 of my Facebook friends very happy. “Cray-mazing,” wrote one. “Malade T’Cha,” added another.
“Woooot!!”
“WTF!?!” “Awesome!”
“Wow chanceux! Profites-en!” “Embrasse Chewie pour moi.” And, succinctly: “Outrageous.” Granted, a fair bit of the reaction was probably due to the photo being taken inside the Millennium Falcon. And before you ask, no it wasn’t the actual Millennium Falcon, and we didn’t take it for a spin. Rather, it was a cheaply made but convincing enough facsimile, good enough for a photo op, and that was good enough for me.
And good enough for those 200-plus friends, who gushed at my chance to ham it up in the driver’s seat of the iconic Star Wars ride.
But really, truly, it was all about Chewie. Throw up a pic of me sitting in a mock Millennium Falcon? Cute. Toss in Chewie? Holy smokes, dude! That’s incredible!
Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, you can scroll down the list of seminal Star Wars characters over the years and it’s tough to find one more lovable that the gentle giant Chewbacca.
To wit, a green-screened video snippet of me and the Solo: A Star Wars Story cast strutting toward the camera garnered but a respectable 34 likes.
At the press conference later that day, Joonas Suotamo, the 6-foot-10 Finn who plays Chewie in the new movie, spoke of the constant requests for hugs from fans, and of the career-transforming honour of this particular part.
“When I knew I had a chance, and then I learned I was going to be playing the character, I couldn’t sleep at night,” he said. “I was so excited. This was a lifechanger for me. I was borderline jobless when I got this role.
“My now-fiancée, thengirlfriend has seen me go from living with my mom to becoming Chewbacca. She says I’ve always been like this, I’m just now at an age where it suits me.
“It’s funny because this character is so loved.”
The guy really did luck out. While Alden Ehrenreich, the new Han Solo, has to suffer through a very public trial by fire as to whether or not he captured the true spirit of his character, Suotamo gets to throw his hands in the air, moan like a Wookiee, and dole out free hugs.
Those looking for the secret of the Chewie mystique need look no further than Star Wars creator George Lucas, who knew from the outset that audiences could and would connect to a range of unintelligible characters, from the electronic-chirping R2-D2 to the tiny desert Jawas or the cloyingly cuddly Ewoks.
But put it to a vote — or a Facebook popularity contest — and my money is on the Wookiee.
Suotamo reportedly went to a one-week boot camp with the original Chewbacca, Peter Mayhew, to get the moves and ’tude down pat, and it works wonders in Solo: A Star Wars Story. He is Chewbacca.
And for a brief, glorious and, thankfully, photographed for posterity moment a couple of weeks ago, I was Chewie’s trusty sidekick.
Admit it, you’re jealous.