Chewbacca mom
The "Chewbacca mom" has been getting lots of attention across the internet. Candace Payne - that's her name - made a video for her Facebook friends in May 2016, where she expressed her excitement over her purchase of a Chewbacca mask that, whenever the wearer opens their mouth, makes the unmistakable Chewbacca sound.
Her video went viral and became the most watched Facebook live video ever. In the interview below, she is a guest at James Corden's "Late Late Show" and just before meets J.J. Abrams director of "The Force Awakens", and later receives a letter from Peter Mayhew - the British actor who impersonated the wookie throughout the Star Wars saga.
- Language Notes and Explanations
- gonna= as "gotta" and "wanna", are used rather commonly in oral English, especially in America, though in formal situations people try to avoid them, using instead their more "correct" form, such as "going to" instead of "gonna".
- to text= (in Italian "mandare un messaggio tramite cellulare") is a recent verb, used as transitive as in this example: "I texted him but he didn't text me back". Its counterpart "to text back" corresponds to the Italian "rispondere a un messaggio".
- to freak out= to have a wild reaction
- Oh my gosh= is a polite expression of surprise where gosh is a euphemism for God.
- kind of= rather, quite, fairly
- to shoot a sketch= girare una scena
- Oh my goodness= an interjection to express surprise
- to catch up= to meet
- to top off= to add something else, unusually good or bad to a situation that is already unusual
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[0:00] [James:] That was so much fun. I'm so excited to have her with us right now, in the studio.
[0:05] Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the Chewbacca mom herself, Candace Payne, everybody. Thank you for being here. I mean, this has been quite the weekend for you.
[Candace] Yes.
[0:17] [James:] I mean, how does this feel like, crushing all of these records, 140 million views in three days. It's crazy.
[0:24] [Candace] It is crazy. You know, I'm quite unathletic, and so I feel like if I broke a record, I need a medal or something...
[James:] sure.
[0:32] [Candace] Or at least I need to like sing "We are the Champions" everywhere that I go, you know?
[James:] Now when did you-- when did you know that this was gonna be huge? When did you know it was coming?
[0:42] [Candace] Well, on Thursday when I posted it, I had 1,000 views, I texted a friend and mine and said "1,000 flipping views", you know, I was so excited at 1,000.
[0:55] And then before I went to bed that night it was one million. And so I got a status update that said one million! You know I was freaking out. And then I went to bed and I woke up and it was 20 something million. And I - like - had to breathe.
[1:09] [James:] Yeah. Why did you post the video to begin with? Why were you doing it?
[Candace] I'm a stay-at-home mom. I only had a few minutes before I had to go get my kids from school. I wanted to prove to all of my Facebook friends and family that that mask was mine.
[1:26] [James:] Right, and not your children's.
[Candace] Absolutely. I knew the moment that they saw it, they were going to take it from me. And I'm, like, I didn't buy it for you, little kids. I love you, but this isn't for you.
[1:39] [James:] Let's have a little look at some more of Candace in the car. Look at this.
[Candace] I can't stop, oh, I can't stop, okay, okay. Oh my gosh. I kind of want to drive around like this.
[1:58] [James:] You're so joyful, so joyful. Now when we shot the sketch earlier, we didn't tell-- we didn't tell you that we were going to be filming with J.J. Abrams.
[2:09] [Candace] No.
[James:] and we actually have tape of the moment that you realize that you were going to be in the sketch with him. Can we play that back?
[2:18] [Candace] Oh my goodness.
[2:19] [James:] We brought someone else to make the sketch even better. It's J.J. Abrams.
[J.J. Abrams]: Come over here
[2:27] [Candace] It's all good.
[2:33] [James:] I was watching my friend.
[Candace] I can't talk, hold on, hold on. I need to talk though.
[2:41] [James:] So great. Such an incredible thing. Now...
[Candace] You have no clue. I-- I am such a J.J. Abrams fan. That blew my world away today.
[2:49] [James:] Well, something else that may also mean something to you because in the time since you have been here, we've got a message for you here, an e-mail from Peter Mayhew, who is Chewbacca.
[Candace] No way.
[3:04] [James:] in all of the movies. And this is the note that he sent for us to read to you. It says "Candace, you are an inspiration. Your attitude and lovely message really resonates and keeps spreading the good word of "Star Wars" with a heart, well, it's so much of why we do what we do. I'd love to get to meet you and your family in person.
[3:22] [Candace] No, no way.
[James:] in two weeks we have Dallas Fan Expo in your hometown.
[Candace] Yes.
[3:29] [James:] my hometown.
[3:30] I have acquired-- I have acquired four VIP passes for you and your family.
[3:41] [Candace] No!
[3:41] [James:] to come to the show.
[3:43] I've also set up a private meet and greet so we can catch up while we're there. All my love, Peter."
to top off a greet weekend for you.
[3:53] [James:]
[3:55] [Candace] Thank you, oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.
[3:58] [James:] now look, this wouldn't be right, now look, you have your mask here, that J.J. has signed. But while you put that on. I will put this one on, will you look in the camera right here and tell the folks that the "Late Late Show" will be right back after the break. 4:13] [Candace] Let's do it.
[James:] All right, ready? you're ready?
[Candace] I'm ready, yes.
[James:] go for it. 4:23] We'll be right back with more "Late Late Show"!
[0:05] Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the Chewbacca mom herself, Candace Payne, everybody. Thank you for being here. I mean, this has been quite the weekend for you.
[Candace] Yes.
[0:17] [James:] I mean, how does this feel like, crushing all of these records, 140 million views in three days. It's crazy.
[0:24] [Candace] It is crazy. You know, I'm quite unathletic, and so I feel like if I broke a record, I need a medal or something...
[James:] sure.
[0:32] [Candace] Or at least I need to like sing "We are the Champions" everywhere that I go, you know?
[James:] Now when did you-- when did you know that this was gonna be huge? When did you know it was coming?
[0:42] [Candace] Well, on Thursday when I posted it, I had 1,000 views, I texted a friend and mine and said "1,000 flipping views", you know, I was so excited at 1,000.
[0:55] And then before I went to bed that night it was one million. And so I got a status update that said one million! You know I was freaking out. And then I went to bed and I woke up and it was 20 something million. And I - like - had to breathe.
[1:09] [James:] Yeah. Why did you post the video to begin with? Why were you doing it?
[Candace] I'm a stay-at-home mom. I only had a few minutes before I had to go get my kids from school. I wanted to prove to all of my Facebook friends and family that that mask was mine.
[1:26] [James:] Right, and not your children's.
[Candace] Absolutely. I knew the moment that they saw it, they were going to take it from me. And I'm, like, I didn't buy it for you, little kids. I love you, but this isn't for you.
[1:39] [James:] Let's have a little look at some more of Candace in the car. Look at this.
[Candace] I can't stop, oh, I can't stop, okay, okay. Oh my gosh. I kind of want to drive around like this.
[1:58] [James:] You're so joyful, so joyful. Now when we shot the sketch earlier, we didn't tell-- we didn't tell you that we were going to be filming with J.J. Abrams.
[2:09] [Candace] No.
[James:] and we actually have tape of the moment that you realize that you were going to be in the sketch with him. Can we play that back?
[2:18] [Candace] Oh my goodness.
[2:19] [James:] We brought someone else to make the sketch even better. It's J.J. Abrams.
[J.J. Abrams]: Come over here
[2:27] [Candace] It's all good.
[2:33] [James:] I was watching my friend.
[Candace] I can't talk, hold on, hold on. I need to talk though.
[2:41] [James:] So great. Such an incredible thing. Now...
[Candace] You have no clue. I-- I am such a J.J. Abrams fan. That blew my world away today.
[2:49] [James:] Well, something else that may also mean something to you because in the time since you have been here, we've got a message for you here, an e-mail from Peter Mayhew, who is Chewbacca.
[Candace] No way.
[3:04] [James:] in all of the movies. And this is the note that he sent for us to read to you. It says "Candace, you are an inspiration. Your attitude and lovely message really resonates and keeps spreading the good word of "Star Wars" with a heart, well, it's so much of why we do what we do. I'd love to get to meet you and your family in person.
[3:22] [Candace] No, no way.
[James:] in two weeks we have Dallas Fan Expo in your hometown.
[Candace] Yes.
[3:29] [James:] my hometown.
[3:30] I have acquired-- I have acquired four VIP passes for you and your family.
[3:41] [Candace] No!
[3:41] [James:] to come to the show.
[3:43] I've also set up a private meet and greet so we can catch up while we're there. All my love, Peter."
to top off a greet weekend for you.
[3:53] [James:]
[3:55] [Candace] Thank you, oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.
[3:58] [James:] now look, this wouldn't be right, now look, you have your mask here, that J.J. has signed. But while you put that on. I will put this one on, will you look in the camera right here and tell the folks that the "Late Late Show" will be right back after the break. 4:13] [Candace] Let's do it.
[James:] All right, ready? you're ready?
[Candace] I'm ready, yes.
[James:] go for it. 4:23] We'll be right back with more "Late Late Show"!