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Chewbacca Was In Danger Of Being Shot
When it comes to fan-favorite characters, Chewbacca is one of the fan-favoritest. The walking carpet has been in every Star Wars movie even remotely worth watching (so far). Who'd wish ill on that guy? Well, hunters, for one.
We've talked about the fact that filming in the snow made the Chewie costume smell like a wet dog, but that wasn't the only location that came with unique downsides for actor Peter Mayhew. According to some sources, when shooting Return Of The Jedi in Northern California's redwood forests, Mayhew had to be chaperoned by some guys in bright vests so he wouldn't get shot by a hunter who thought they'd spotted Bigfoot. That sounds like a bullshit urban legend, but Mayhew confirmed the story on that wretched hive of scum and villainy known as "Reddit."
LucasfilmUnlike stormtroopers, hunters can actually hit their targets.
It wasn't a picnic for the people doing Chewie's voice, either. Ben Burtt, the sound designer, recorded a sad walrus stuck in an emptied tank, along with some sick animals, mixed them with other animal sounds, and created Chewbacca's iconic vocalizations. Ben, dude, when you see a walrus stranded at the bottom of a tank, you're supposed to throw down a rope to help it up. That's not only common courtesy, but also maritime law.
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In Fact, All Of The Costumes Were Total Freaking Nightmares
Did you know that Anthony Daniels was in constant pain because his C-3PO costume hurt him literally any time he moved? The mask also gave him tunnel vision, which meant he wasn't always sure exactly where he needed to go. Once, on Return Of The Jedi, he started wondering why some crew members were suddenly in the scene, right before he hit a rock and fell over.
Similarly, in the Cantina scene, the actors playing the band were the costume designers wearing their own hellish creations. First of all, look at how huge these things seem to be (some of them are puppets):
LucasfilmYet none are as creepy as the stoic, lifeless "Hayden Christensen" mask.
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