Chewbacca is P. Mayhew or Joonas Suotamo?

I imagine that Mayhew was in the less active shots, while Suotamo was in more action sequence shots. (not like a stunt double, but more like a second puppeteer) Also, I imagine Mayhew voiced Chewbacca exclusively.

 

^ spot on. Except, chewie is voiced by a foley artist, using bear sounds, mostly.

 

It feels strangely mean to say it, but I'm sure they had Mayhew in the movie just to please the fans. I'll give him credit for bringing something to the character beyond just man in suit - but now that Chewbacca is a fully realized character, it would not be hard for someone else to wear the costume convincingly. With all the trouble the man has getting around, I'm sure it would have been easier to have Suotamo do everything.

But Mayhew has been an excellent ambassador for the franchise for years now, and so genuinely kind to the fans, that he deserved the special treatment.

 

Mayhew did all the scenes where Chewie was either sitting or lying down. I have a feeling his casting in VII was clearly for nostalgia purposes and to pass the torch to another actor. Joonas will most likely be cast in all scenes in VIII. I take nothing away from Peter Mayhew of course, but he's not a well man and time is against him. Perhaps they may even retire Chewie by having him return to Kashyyyk seeing as Han is longer by his side?

 

I didn't think that Chewie really did much action at all plus Joonas is shorter that Peter Mahew I think .

 

Knowing that Maheyw can barely walk, I guess he's in the falcon and the finnish dude the other times.

 

I think that in the future it may be Joonas in every scene and Peter is there to consult. No reason not to have Mayhew there to give tips on the role.

 

It will be similar to Kenny Baker and R2-D2. Mayhew will consult Joonas for the next few movies just as Baker is doing. Joonas is in the suit 90% of the time and like stated previously, Mayhew is there just for the sitting and laying down scenes. He just has to hard of a time even standing for me to think he did much else than that.

This is actually a really smart move by Disney, to have the person who brought the character to life around to help make sure the character is consistent with what we know and love. Even if Baker and Mayhew have ZERO scenes, they will forever be remembered as Chewie and R2! With their help, the new actors playing those parts will have that same respect from fans moving forward, as long as they listen and follow their predecessors steps.

 

I am all for the mentors idea, with Peter Mayhew and R2-D2. They're supporting characters, and as much as I love the original stars, age gets to anyone. This means others can fill in their shoes, which is a wonderful acting opportunity, and it allows the fans to find new people to accept and enjoy, just like in all 7 movies and 2 TV shows so far.