Chewbacca in the "Star Wars" movies has been played by Peter Mayhew till now who is now replaced with Joonas Suotamo. Finnish actor just wrote a lovely letter to "Star Wars" fans about his role in the upcoming film.

Mayhew was with "Star Wars" since 40 years. His journey through "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" till "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is memorable.

"Star Wars" fans already knew about the casting of Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo and Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian. Now, the announcement from the Lucasfilm revealed that Suotamo would completely take over the role of Chewbacca in the upcoming Han Solo spin-off.

As written in The Daily Dot, Suotamo posted a touching note to "Star Wars" fans about what it means for him to take up Chewbacca's mantle. He thanked Mayhew for the guidance he has provided to prepare him for the role.

"I aspire to make Peter proud and bring Star Wars fans the Chewie they know and love," Suotamo wrote. Well, many "Star Wars" fans wonder who Suotamo is. Here are some things to know about new Chewbacca as written in People.

The Finnish actor is 6 ft. 10 in. tall and is a former Penn State basketball player. He even played professionally in Europe from 2011 to 2015. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and who would have thought of him joining the biggest franchise "Star Wars".

Suotamo lived in his native country before acting and he sold insurance to pay the bills. In his interview with Business Insider in January 2016, he said that he sold the insurance over the phone. "Star Wars" fans from Finland might have bought insurance from him.

Many people didn't realise that there were two Chewie's in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens". Suotamo performed more physical action scenes that were too difficult for the 71-year-old Mayhew. So, this is not the first "Star Wars" film for him.

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