Anna Daniels
This raises the question of just how many of Chewbacca’s lines are actually scripted (as is done with his spiritual successor, Groot, in the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers movies). The short answer is that it probably varies depending on who is writing the character, but we do know that English translations of the Wookiee’s grunts, roars, and squeals have appeared in the scripts for Star Wars flicks going at least as far back as the second one, 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back.
We know this thanks to Mayhew, who took to Twitter in 2016 to share some behind the scenes footage from that film. It shows the crew shooting a take of the scene in which Solo approaches Chewie, who is atop the Falcon doing a few repairs, in the Rebel base on Hoth. In the clip, Mayhew can be heard shouting Chewbacca’s lines (which are only slightly muffled by his mask), which is downright bizarre given the actor’s British accent. For the record, the first thing he says to Solo is, “Where the hell have you been?”
This tradition has continued with the current crop of Star Wars flicks. Solo: A Star Wars Story co-screenwriter Jonathan Kasdan revealed in 2018 that in that flick’s script, all of Chewie’s lines were written in English. “We wanted Alden [Ehrenreich], who was playing Han, to know what was being said to him,” Kasdan explained. “So he would know what to play, regardless of what he interpreted from the moan” (via CinemaBlend).
Apparently, Chewbacca’s dialogue was handled similarly for Rise of Skywalker, which will likely mark the last time we see the big lug onscreen — unless, of course, Suotamo has anything to say about it.
Written by: Looper
