Chewbacca Actor Talks About Playing A Jedi Wookie In The Acolyte

Chewbacca actor Joonas Suotamo has discussed his role in the upcoming Star Wars TV series The Acolyte, in which he plays a Jedi Wookie named Kelnacca. Speaking to Empire, Suotamo said it was a "dream come true" to step into a role he's been dreaming about since childhood.

"Ever since [I was] five years old, I've been fantasizing about being a Jedi, like every kid," he said. "When the word Jedi was first mentioned [in talks for The Acolyte], I felt really excited--like a little kid who finally gets his favorite toy on his birthday."

Suotamo took over as Chewbacca from Peter Mayhew, who passed away in 2019. Suotamo said he learned from Mayhew that Chewbacca is meant to be played as a mime character, in that the audience doesn't know precisely what he's saying but they understand through his mannerisms, including his roar. For The Acolyte, Suotamo said he applied these lessons and added a little more resolve to make Kelnacca a Jedi.

"Kelnacca being a Jedi, that sets certain expectations to how you carry yourself in the line of duty," he said. "There are certain assumptions that can be made as to whether he lets his emotions take control of him to the extent that Chewbacca would, for example. It was very interesting to bake that into the character and try to personify that on screen."

Kelnacca is not Star Wars' first Wookie Jedi, as The Clone Wars featured the character Burryaga. Suotamo said he was aware of this character before making The Acolyte, and said he even spoke with the writers. "I also wanted to differentiate Kelnacca from Burryaga, and not copy too much from those stories," he said.

Mayhew played Chewbacca dating back to the 1977 original Star Wars through to 2015's The Force Awakens. After he passed away in 2019, Suotamo took over as Chewbacca. Suotamo, who stands close to seven feet tall, played basketball at Penn State before returning to his home country of Finland for mandatory military service. After that, Suotamo started his acting career.

The Acolyte premieres this June on Disney+. For more, check out everything you need to know about The Acolyte in the gallery below.