Interesting reading the obit for Peter Mayhew in the DT, 6ft 8 by the age of 9 due to an overactive pituitary and he and Kenny Baker became good friends as they could talk about similar problems from different perspectives. The one bit I did know was he got the job on a handshake with George Lucas at the audition, solely due to him being 7ft 3.
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This deserves a bit more attention. He was working in a hospital at the time of casting and was indeed hired based on his height.
Despite not having any lines or real ability of expression, he still brought the character to life by expressing personality through body language.
Although he played Chewbacca in ROTS and TFA, he eventually had to give it up for a role as… “Chewbacca Consultant”!