Joonas Suotamo on Chewbacca’s Emotional Scene in The Rise of Skywalker & More

Joonas Suotamo, who has been portraying everyone’s favorite Wookiee co-polit since the start of the Sequel Trilogy, recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about several Chewbacca-related topics. He touched on the subject of Chewie’s highly emotional reaction to the passing of General Leia in The Rise of Skywalker, Chewbacca reuniting with Lando Calrissian aboard the Millennium Falcon after all these years, being presented with Han’s ceremonial medal, and more.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has produced no shortage of reactions and emotions amongst an audience that is largely divided over the film. However, at least one consensus has emerged in terms of the film’s most effective moments, and that’s Chewbacaca’s heartbreaking reaction to Leia’s passing. According to Chewbacca actor, Joonas Suotamo, the moment was just as painful for everyone on set.

“I remember having some issues with my jaw being so sweaty that I had trouble opening the mouth of the Chewbacca mask. So, I was a nervous wreck underneath the mask,” Suotamo tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Everyone was really tense. It was agonizing to deal with that situation because we were essentially living the actual reality of it — that Carrie had passed — and now we were shooting the scene where her character passes. It was a very emotional day, and watching it is still very emotional for me.”