How Peter Mayhew's Massive Feet Landed Him The Role Of Star Wars' Chewbacca

You know what they say about a man with big feet: They make the best space sasquatches. 

Chewbacca, the "Star Wars" Wookiee played bodily by Peter Mayhew (and voiced by sound designer Ben Burtt), proved to be surprisingly capable and complex over the course of the sci-fi saga. He worked for a nogoodnik like Han Solo (Harrison Ford), proving he was kind of amoral, but was also a loyal friend, fantastic co-pilot, and a capable engineer. Chewbacca had a family that he, sadly, rarely got to see except on Life Day, a notable holiday on his home planet Kashyyyk. That not might be as terrible an issue as one might assume, as his species is said to live for centuries. But despite being covered by hair, it takes them a while to go gray. 

Playing a creature like Chewbacca required a raft of physical demands. The late Mayhew had to wear a full-body fur costume and an over-the-face mask through which only his eyes were visible. Plus, he had to manipulate the Chewbacca jaw to match the character's roaring sound effects and handle delicate tools with hair all over his hands. Mayhew was perfect for the role, largely because he stood 7'3" and gave Chewbacca a simultaneous "friendly oaf" and "vicious bodyguard" feel. In fact, it was his large stature that got him noticed, but not due to his height.

One day, Mayhew answered a newspaper want-ad looking for men with big feet. That led to his casting as a robot bull monster in a Sinbad movie which, in turn, led to his casting as Chewbacca. This story is detailed in J.W. Rinzler's book "The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film."

Sadly, I was unable to locate the 1976 article in question that features photographs of men with large feet. Needless to say, Mayhew, standing so tall, had trouble buying shoes that fit him. He wore a 17H shoe in UK sizes, which translates to about size 18 in the United States. That's about 13 and 5/16 inches. Why not pose for a picture in the paper with such enormous stompers?

It seems that answering that ad attracted the attention of several casting agents. Mayhew recalls that he landed one "monster" role in a fantasy movie, and that would lead to his fateful meeting with George Lucas. Mayhew recalled: 

"[S]ome reporter wanted to do a story on people with big feet. [...] A producer saw the article and cast me to play Minoton in 'Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger..' One of the makeup men on 'Sinbad' was also creating the Wookiee costume, and he suggested me to the producers of 'Star Wars.' So four or five months after playing a Minoton, I was playing a Wookiee. I was the new boy, new costume, and everything was strange."

The Minoton, as one can see in the photo above, is a large metallic robot Minotaur. "Sinbad and the Eyes of the Tiger" was co-written by effects wizard Ray Harryhausen and starred Patrick Wayne, son of John Wayne, as Sinbad. "Tiger" was technically the first film Mayhew was hired for, although it didn't reach theaters until August of 1977, three months after the release of "Star Wars." It seemed that playing a space sasquatch took less time than a Minoton.

Mark Hamill, who played the role of Luke Skywalker in several "Star Wars" pictures, recalls working with Mayhew, and noted how his co-star's body language was perfect for a character like Chewbacca. By Hamill's account, Mayhew was a gentle and kind man, and that kind of personality came through, even though Mayhew had no lines and his face was covered. Hamill said that Mayhew was "just the most gentle," continuing by saying, "That's how smart George [Lucas] is. [...] I mean, he found this big, gangling sweet guy. He was so shy at first." 

In 1976, Mayhew had a job as the deputy head porter at a hospital, which, according to job-hunting websites, is a specialist in transporting tools to certain medical facilities. Author Rinzler noted that Mayhew's managers at the hospital became somewhat miffed that he required time off to shoot these fantasy movies. Luckily, it proved to be the right career move for the actor. 

Mayhew played Chewbacca all the way through "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in 2015. In that film, Mayhew — due to health issues — shared acting duties with his body doubles Joonas Suotamo, a Finnish basketball player, and Ian Whyte, a Welsh stuntman. Suotamo ended up taking over the role of Chewbacca for "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," "Solo: A Star Wars Story," and "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker." Sadly, Mayhew passed away in 2019 at the age of 74. His life was celebrated by "Star Wars" fans the world over.