There is no film franchise quite as big as Star Wars. The epic space opera has been passed down from generation to generation, and has always managed to make some of the biggest profits in film history. While the fans are still recovering from Rian Johnson's wild ride in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the property's second standalone movie ever will arrive in a matter of days. Solo: A Star Wars Story will help to expand the backstories of original heroes Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, and Chewbacca. The latter is being being played by Joonas Suotamo, who shared the role with OG Chewie Peter Mayhew in The Force Awakens. Now Suotamo has revealed the advice the original Wookiee had, saying:
We had a weeklong Wookiee boot camp where Peter taught me what he thought was very important for the character. That was so helpful, because we got to go over the flailing of the arms and the upright posture. The thing that stuck to me most was he told me to lead with the chest when walking. That was a very important thing for Peter. Because Chewbacca is a very proud creature.
It looks like Joonas Suotamo was given extensive training in order to play the beloved Rebel hero. Chewbacca has been in the franchise since back in A New Hope, and the fans adore his mix of badassery and cuddliness. While the fans have never been able to understand his language, that hasn't stopped Chewie from being one of the most beloved characters in the entire franchise.
Joonas Suotamo's comments to EW show just how seriously everyone involved in the Star Wars franchise seems to be taking their jobs. Rather than slapping together characters and action sequences, there seems to be a certain attention to detail since Disney teamed up with Lucasfilm. Chewbacca wasn't a particularly big character in either The Force Awakens or The Last Jedi, but there was still special attention paid to make sure Suotamo was properly inhabiting the role of Chewbacca.
Wookiee boot camp and the previous two blockbusters no doubt helped Joonas Suotamo prepare for his part in Solo, which seems like a much more meaty role.. The standalone film will explore how he and Han became friends, and will also reportedly feature members of Chewbacca's family. Rather than noises of yes or no, his dialogue was carefully crafted, and Solo might even provide the first scenes were Wookiees are subtitled. Overall, Ron Howard has a ton of interesting material to play with, and early reception for Solo: A Star Wars Story has been positive.
Solo: A Star Wars Story will arrive in theaters on May 25, 2018. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
