Wookiee Talk

If Chewie gets his medal in the Final Edition of A New Hope, I will be thrilled. I too know several people who work at ILM, but if they told me what they are doing right now (especially on Ep II, they'd have to kill me, I'm sure)....it does seem reasonable that Lucas might want to correct the medal ceremony scene though, let's hope they decide to do that...

 

Mr. Mayhew, do you keep in touch with any of your SW co-stars?

Forgive me if you've been asked that before on another thread.

 

Yeah, it's very unfair that Chewie didn't share in the kudos. Hopefully there will be digital justice.

 

I keep in contact with the Star Wars actors who do conventions and they are all my friends to varying degrees. Kenny Baker and I are good mates and have been since Star Wars. I got to visit with Carrie again this past May at Star Wars Weekends, Disneyworld, Florida. It was great to see her. There are some wonderful people who were in Star Wars and when we get together, there is a special electricity in the air, even now. I am privileged to be a part of it.

 

I always wondered why Chewie didn't get a medal. I thought there might be a little racism there. Well, maybe not.





!snap

 

What a treat!

[image=http://fan.starwars.com/Nerfherders_Anonymous/files/Chewbacca_sketch3.jpg]
All hail the mighty Chewbacca!!

Thank you for being here and being such a fans actor, it's much appreciated.

Questions:
(ala 'Inside the Actor's Studio')
What word do you hate?
What word do you love?
What's the one thing you'd like God to say to you upon entering heaven?

Thanks,
Leah

 

Mr. Mayhew,

May I begin by saying that Chewbacca has always been my favorite Star Wars character.

My question is which, if any, props did you keep as souviners from your time on the set for the Star Wars trilogy?

 

Good question. Do you have the crossbow?





!snap

 

Hello Mr. Mayhew, it is a pleasure to meet you and get this opertunity to ask you a question.

I am making a star wars fan film at the moment and i wondered, What is your opinion of fan films? As a concept and the quality of the films that have been made.

Oh and as a side question. last year i worked for a company called "Forbidden planet" in London and they said that once at a Con one of thier security tried to stop you from entering because he didn't recognise you. i was wondering is that true and do you have anything to say about it?

Thank you for your time!

 

Hey Mr. Mayhew,

I think it is really great that you take the time to chat with the fans here and answer some questions. I would like to pick your brain for a minute about the filming on Jedi. I have always been a huge Star Wars fan and SW has inspired me to pursue a career in the film industry (at school now...). One of my hobbies has become visiting the locations used to film Star Wars. In July I took a trip to Tunisia as a graduation present and saw the filming locations used for Episodes I, II, and IV. I have also been to Death Valley to see where some shots from ANH and ROTJ were filmed. I have recently begun trying to track down the locations used to shoot "Endor" near Crescent City, California but have not had much success. I know that the main bunker battle was shot on private property near the Smith River, but it's my understanding that there was some footage shot in a nearby state park as well. Some locations described in the Making of ROTJ book are "Norman's log", "the heart shaped tree", etc. Do you know what state park this is? Were you present for any of the filming in the state park or just the main battle bunker? Can you remember any landmarks that were filmed near? Any help would be fantastic...I'm hoping to get out to California in December or January and go location hunting again...it is great fun! If anyone is interested, you can see pics from my Tunisia trip here (I also visited the locations used in "Raiders of the Lost Ark"):
http://www.erols.com/alinger/images/tunisia

And of my death valley trip here:
http://www.swfans.net/visiting

Thanks very much for the read!
Brandon
alinger@erols.com

 

Mr. Mayhew:

I'm new here but there are two questions I've always wanted to ask ya:

Who (or what) makes the Chewie sounds?Growrrr, rooooar, etc.

Do you have the LEGO Chewbacca dude? Is that like so cool? How does it feel to be the tallest LEGO minifiggure ever?

 

First off,just wanna say its an honour and a privledge to have you here with us!!

second all of us over at the Boston forum,The Boston Rebels, are looking forward to meeting you at the Sci-Fi convention at the Hynes Auditorium.We're planning on attending the saturday show.Was wondering if at all possible to get a group photo with you?We're working on a webpage and it would be awesome to have you on there with us.


Also could you stop by the Boston forum and say hi to everyone,just tell em' TK sent you

 

Mr. Mayhew, may I say that it is a real honour that Star Wars VIPs like yourself come to visit and talk to the fans on forums like this one.

I would also like to thank you for being Chewbacca and for all the happiness his character has brought me through the years of watching the Star Wars trilogy.

Thirdly, seeing as how this is an Ep2 forum, I was wondering if there was anything you knew about Episode 2 that you could tell us?

Once again, thanks for the memories!

 

Great to hear from you again Mr Mayhew, and its really cool of you to answer the same questions asked in the last thread from months ago. And for the record i think its a great idea for Chewie to get a medal too!

 

Mr. Mayhew;
It is a bit redundant, but thanks for taking time to chat with us, the fans. It's kind of funny how one's mind goes blank when thrust into the presence of celebrities. After racking my brain, I finally thought of a question for you.

Of all the 'masked men,' you seem to be the least recognizable when out of costume. It seems like you came to the convention circuit later than people such as Anthony, Kenny, and David. Was there any reluctance on your part to start doing conventions, and do you get recognized in public very often?

 

Mr. Mayhew,
I too was a tad reluctant to post in that last (gigantic) thread, so I just wanted to add something to this one.
It really is a thrill to interact with someone of your importance in the Star Wars universe, and I'd just like to say what an honour it is to have you here (although you already know that, seeing as how everyone who posts says so).
I won't ask a question, as everyone else seems to be doing a mighty fine job coming up with questions much more interesting that I could, but I will say that for someone who lives waaay out in Australia and does not really have the oppourtunity to meet you in person (until April, eh? ), it's great that you would actually come and log onto a fan site and talk with us fans. You seem really nice and down-to-earth that way.
Thanks alot,
Mychael (Taffy).

 

This is a real thrill for me because i have always wanted to speak to/ meet the actors behind the masks. I have met Jeremy Bulloch and have come very close to meating David prowse (missed him by a day)
But what amazes me the most is that one of the actors is actually here talking to the fans, on a fan-made web site.

I look forward to reading your posts, and hearing your opinons Mr. Mayhew.

ALL HAIL CHEWIE!!!!!

 

Peter,

At the time of your initial involvement with Star Wars, much of the technology that was seen in the movie was cutting-edge. You were heralded as the comic relief and the artistry of the cantina scene and the trench battle remain cultural icons to this day.

Your foil in The Phantom Menace is Jar-Jar Binks. And computer generated images have replaced much of the handmade costumes. In your opinion, do you feel that Star Wars, specifically George Lucas, is relying too heavily on blue screens and replication imagery, and thus has taken away a little bit of the edge and real world feel that we all could identify with in the first thee films?

Do you think if you were involved in the films now, having the experience with the other films, that you would feel a little less a part of the experience? In other words, actors now must act without knowing what will ultimately be there or not knowing if they may or may not be altered digitally.

 

hi peter this is indeed a great honour... hope you're still knocking around.

i was wondering, who did you get on best with on set? you've obviously made good friends on the circuit since, but who was the best during filming? was it good fun doing the filming? who were the jokers that kept you all entertained?

i'd love to know who you didn't get on with but i'm guessing you're not going to tell us that!

hope you stick around a little longer...

 

Thank you for continuing to honor us here Mr. Mayhew.

I was reading your response to Mr. Lucas possibly "fixing" the award ceremony scene and it made me wonder: Why didn't you get a medal in the original version? Was this truly an oversight or was there a reason Chewie was left out?

 

Yes, I remember the security guard in London. I came down from Yorkshire to do the signing at Forbidden Planet with Mike Carter and Jeremy Bulloch. It was a poster and comic book shop. I told the cabby the address and the street was only a couple of blocks long. There were people waiting outside for us to arrive and there was a big security man on the door. I went up and told him who I was but he wouldn't let me in until he checked with the owner of the store who, as I recall was grateful to see that I was there.

 

As to original props. I don't have the crossbow or anything else. I do have my scripts and call sheets. What I have, is Harrison's coffee thermos which I had nicked at the end of the shooting when we were all going home. I used it for years to take to work with me and when we moved I was going to throw it away, the wife rescued it. I also have the pants to the Norway outfit which is just like the one Harrison wears at the beginning of Empire, only larger, but the jacket had come completely apart after years of wear and didn't make the cut when we moved. It looked like a drowned rat.

 

Peter, I think it's hilarious that of all the cast members, you ended up "closest" with Kenny Baker. You guys must look hilarious walking down the street together. I wonder if you get along well partly because you sympathize with each other, being at opposite extremes of the size scale, and the challenges that presents?

 

Brandon, I think the State Park you might be referring to is the Imperial Sand Dunes in Yuma, Arizona where we filmed the Sarlacc Pit scene. I remember filming in and around a logging camp in between Crescent City and Smith River. It does look on the map like it would be part of Redwood National Park. Our rest area was in the logging camp as was the whole of the film shoot.

 

Yes Jay, Kenny and I do face similar challenges in the world. Finding clothes that fit, airplane seats that don't fit, trouble with dexterity, roles to play, that type of thing. But the reason that Kenny and I get along so well is because he's a great person to be with. His lady Val, is a peach as well.