ESPN’s Bill Walton Admits He Auditioned for Chewbacca Role in ‘Star Wars’
Bill Walton has lived a fascinating life that goes beyond just his basketball career, and that may include inspiration for one of the most recognizable characters in movie history.
Walton was broadcasting Oregon’s blowout win over USC with Dave Pasch on Thursday night, and with the game in hand, Pasch point-blank asked Walton about a rumor he’s heard.
“Is it true that you were in the mix to play Chewbacca?” Pasch asked. “I’m being serious, I heard that you were being considered to play that role.”
Walton then sidestepped the question and brought up a time when he, Star Wars creator George Lucas, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell were all together, but Pasch finally got him to give a direct answer to the question.
“I auditioned for Chewbacca and they said, ’No, but we’re going to model the character after you,’” Walton said.
Bill Walton won't give Dave Pasch an answer on if he was in the mix to play Chewbacca in Star Wars.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 2, 2024
Bill finally says that he "auditioned" to play Chewbacca, but they modeled the character after him.
This is an amazing interaction.???????????? pic.twitter.com/uk4rORSf1D
Lucas needed someone with serious height to play Chewbacca in the films, so it makes sense that Walton was at least considered. However, Lucas ultimately went with Peter Mayhew for the role, and the seven-foot-three actor would make a career out of being Chewbacca.
Walton did make appearances in other movies over the years, including a cameo in Ghostbusters, which Pasch notes most people don’t realize. However, none of his movie or tv roles ended up being as famous as Chewbacca.