There might be no stronger partnership in the galaxy far, far away than that of Han and Chewie, and in Solo fans will get to see how the two first met and set out on a lifelong journey together. Bringing to life such a momentous occasion would be a tall task for any actors (literally for the one playing Chewbacca), so we wanted to know how Alden Ehrenreich and Joonas Suotamo helped establish such an iconic friendship between two beloved characters. Learning to speak the same language, Shyriiwook, is a big help, but there’s a lot more to a Wookiee growl than you might think.
In this Nerdist Special Report, our own Dan Casey had a chance to sit down with Alden Ehrenreich and Joonas Suotamo to talk about Han and Chewie’s first meeting, as well as how each of the characters are different than the ones they become in A New Hope. It helps that Joonas has already played Chewbacca before, first as a double in The Force Awakens and then in the main role—having accepted the torch from the legendary Peter Mayhew—in The Last Jedi. This experience allowed him to share with Alden the nuances of learning how to speak proper Wookiee.
Even if we don’t end up learning in this movie exactly what is going on with Chewie’s family, we all know the more Wookiees the better (that’s why Revenge of the Sith is the best of the prequel trilogy, duh), so we wouldn’t be surprised to learn more about them in a Solo sequel.
What are you most excited to learn about the start of Han and Chewbacca’s friendship? Tell us in the comments below.
Featured Image: Lucasfilm
More on Solo
- Donald Glover’s music gets Star Wars-ified in “Lando Gambino”
- Who was the Millennium Falcon’s best owner?
- The weirdest Star Wars lore Alden Ehrenreich discovered
