‘Star Wars’ Actor Says Playing an Ewok in ‘Return of the Jedi’ Was “Tough”

It’s not unusual for an actor or stunt person to play multiple characters in the same movie, especially when they’re bogged down in prosthetics and make-up, which makes it hard to recognize them. But 20 characters? That’s definitely more than average. For stunt actor and little person Kevin Thompson, though, it was worth it to be a part of the Star Wars universe in Return of the Jedi, even if the Ewok costumes he wore were a little constricting.

Thompson appeared on a recent episode of Pod Meets World hosted by Rider Strong, Danielle Fishel, and Will Friedle, who are just three stars from the hit ’90s sitcom Boy Meets World. They regularly re-watch old episodes of their series, and were joined by Thompson – who was a stand-in for the child actors – and his wife, Tracey. The subject of Star Wars was eventually brought up, and it was then that the stunt actor revealed just how difficult the Ewok costumes were to wear on the forest moon of Endor. “The suits were tough,” he said, adding:

“We were little bears, space bears. We had a two-inch fat suit from the wrist to our ankles in three different pieces. It was a chestpiece, and then two pork chop legs. Then you put a fur coat over that, then latex feet, latex hands, and lastly, a latex mask with plastic eyes that would fog up as soon as you put it on, and a 16-inch inseam. Most bushes were higher than our inseam, and my inseam is actually long for the little people who were there. Some little people were only 36 inches tall, so they had a much smaller inseam.”

When asked if he could point out specifically which Ewok he played in Return of the Jedi, Thompson added: “I’m 20 different Ewoks. I’m in all the battles. My signature Ewok is the one with the white slash, and that’s Chubbray.” That being said, he did play a number of other key Ewoks who were pivotal in the battle which saw Han’s team lower the shield generators that surrounded the Death Star.

The Ewoks Were Polarizing Characters in ‘Return of the Jedi’

While the original Star Wars trilogy received mainly positive reviews across the board, it should be noted that Return of the Jedi is the lowest rated of the bunch on Rotten Tomatoes, and that’s mainly due to the appearance of the Ewoks, who even Mark Hamill wasn’t convinced about at first. They’ve become a polarizing bunch over the years that fans and critics either love or hate, resulting in Jedi holding just an 83% compared to the 93% of the original 1977 film, and the 95% of The Empire Strikes Back.

Many have blasted the Ewoks by highlighting how commercialized Star Wars became by the time Jedi rolled around, which they feel was more about selling merchandise than it was telling a good story. Heck, even Dune director Denis Villeneuve has avoided directing a Star Wars film because of them. On the flip side, others have said the Ewoks brought the franchise back to the child-like wonder of the original, something that was sorely needed after Empire took the series down a dark path.

No matter which side of the fence you’re on, it’s still fun to hear stories about the Ewoks, and what went into making Return of the Jedi. For a more in-depth look at Thompson’s experience, you can check the book written by his wife, My Journey to Endor, which is available now on Amazon.