We directed you towards this article on Yahoo last month shortly after The Force Awakens debuted in theaters that shed some light on cast member Joonas Suotamo, the basketball player who worked as Peter Mayhew’s Chewbacca double in the film. Jason Guerrasio has posted an article on Business Insider that expands a little bit more on Suotamo’s involvement in Episode VII.
In the midst of finding lesser-known actors to play the new leads of the “Star Wars” saga, like Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, the casting department of “The Force Awakens” also had to try to find a double for one of the franchise’s best-known roles: Chewbacca.
Actor Peter Mayhew, the 71-year-old, 7-foot-2 London-born actor who has been the man behind the Wookiee since “Episode IV: A New Hope” opened in 1977, reprises the character once more in “Awakens.” But given Mayhew’s age and abilities (he is often seen walking with a cane), the filmmakers needed someone younger to assist in the film’s physical scenes.
So the casting directors had their orders: span the globe to track down 7-footers with blue eyes (to match those of Mayhew).