THE PEOPLE’S WOOKIEE
Empire’s Ian Freer on how Peter Mayhew made Chewbacca a fan favourite
PETER MAYHEW STARTED his working life as Chewbacca on Friday 9 April 1976. The scene, shot at Elstree Studios, was the infamous Han-jabba confrontation in Docking Bay 94. It marked a 43-year association that saw Mayhew take an alien sidekick character to the second lead and turn him into a pop culture phenomenon. If you want proof, look at how the word “Wookiee” has proliferated into common usage. That is in large part down to Mayhew’s charisma and performance.
Mayhew was a 7’ 2” hospital porter by trade (he juggled his day job and the New Hope shooting schedule), so Chewbacca is arguably an extension of himself, Mayhew imbuing the character with a humanity beneath the yak hair/mohair costume; look at Chewie’s fear in the Death Star corridor, his anguish as the
Rebel base doors close with
Luke still missing, and his anger at Han being lowered into carbon freeze. Mayhew studied animals to capture their movement but what makes Chewie so great is the performer himself. Unlike many masked characters in the saga, you can actually see Chewie’s eyes: it is Mayhew who provides the window into the character’s soul. Mayhew was instrumental in keeping the Star Wars flame alive during the periods between movies, a constant, generous, genial presence at conventions, but his giving back went beyond sitting at a table signing photos. He cameoed as himself in the fan film Star Wars Fanboys, scaring off stormtroopers with Wookiee growls which he provided himself. He appeared in character in children’s hospitals and was a keen supporter of the 501st Legion, raising money for charitable children’s causes. Physically unable to play the role after The Force Awakens, he endeared himself to fans further by ensuring Chewbacca’s spirit survived in both the latest live-action versions (he ran a Wookiee boot camp for current Chewie Joonas Suotamo) and animation (he received a ‘Special Thanks’ for the
Clone Wars episode ‘Wookiee Hunt’). Much has been made of the character’s failure to receive a medal at the ceremony that concludes A New Hope — in 1997 MTV gave him a Lifetime Achievement in consolation — but it is often lost that, with his growl, Chewie has the last laugh. In creating one of cinema’s most beloved characters, so did Mayhew.