Six years after Chewbacca’s return to the Star wars movie galaxy in Revenge of the Sith, Peter Mayhew returns to the galaxy far, far away in next Saturdays Clone Wars Season three finale Wookiee Hunt.
He has spent years dressed as the most famous furball in the galaxy but Peter Mayhew has finally escaped the costume of Chewbacca from the Star Wars films. The 7ft2in actor became famous for playing the Wookiee in four blockbuster Star Wars films, but he has just completed by far the most enjoyable stint of his dream role – voicing a cartoon version for a television spin-off. The 66-year-old actor from London was drafted in to help bring Chewbacca to life for the Star Wars animated series The Clone Wars.
As he only had to provide the voice, Peter swapped the heavy, hairy suit for shorts and a t-shirt at creator George Lucas’s studios in California.
“When they asked me to do the Clone Wars, it was great because I just had to walk into the studio dressed as myself. I sat there with the sound man and we recorded the growls in different ranges.”
After being asked to do the famous noises at conventions for almost three decades, Peter had started practising and then at a fan event last year, let rip to a delighted crowd, which included Clone Wars sound editor Matthew Wood. Peter said: “I was at a convention with Matt Wood and I’d always been very reluctant to do the voice.
“I just started larking around and Matt heard it so he and director Dave Filoni thought they could use it.
“They got me up to Skywalker Ranch to see what we could do, and we got it sorted, hopefully it’s pretty good.
“I think the fans are going to go absolutely crazy when they see the episode. There’s a scene when he makes his first appearance out of some trees and growls, and it’s just Chewie, the way you always remembered him. It will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.”
Peter returns to his role in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which will air at 5.30pm on March 26th on Sky Movies Premiere/HD.