Algoma University professor to appear in Anishinaabemowin version of classic Star Wars movie

John-Paul Chalykoff has been a fan of Star Wars since he was a kid.

He says he started with the Ewok movies, thinking Star Wars was a spinoff, before realizing it was actually the other way around. After watching the original trilogy A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi he became a fan for life.

In an exciting full-circle moment, he has lent his voice to nearly a dozen characters in the new Anishinaabemowin version of Star Wars: A New Hope, which will make its debut in Winnipeg in August before being released on Disney Plus and the Aboriginal People's Television Network (APTN).

Chalykoff, an assistant professor at Algoma University teaching Anishinaabe studies and Anishinaabemowin, told CBC Radio about how he got involved in the casting process.

"The postings went out for open casting on Facebook," he says. "I saw the link, filled it out and waited a month or two."

After auditioning online through Zoom, he was cast as some of the more minor characters. He says he was scared to take on a lead role, even though the audition process mandated it.

"I auditioned for Han Solo because I felt that was who I was closest to in age. I made it to the second round," he recounts.

As he was driving to Winnipeg, he found out he was going to voice Uncle Owen. In A New Hope, Uncle Owen is Darth Vader's stepbrother and Luke Skywalker's Uncle.

The recording process

Chalykoff says he was able to put together all of his learning strategies during the recording process. Especially since he had to voice a myriad of characters, ranging from rebel fighters to empire grunts, to pilots.

"It was pretty fun finding ways to get slightly different voice pitches and cadences," he says.

Since his voiceovers had to match the character's mouth movements, he says he had to pull from the techniques he learned from teachers in both the East and the West. Anishinaabemowin speakers in the East are known for dropping vowels and shortening words, while in the West, people kept their vowels intact.

"I have experience with dropping vowels and keeping them intact. And so all of that teaching I've gotten from my teachers and mentors throughout the years, I was able to put to use," he says

Chalykoff says the Anishinaabemowin dubbing of Star Wars: A New Hope is the first feature film in Ojibwe and having something that carries such a broad appeal in his native language is a cool way to normalize hearing it in a different setting.

"It's a way to bring the language into the home where a family could easily put it on and enjoy it together."

Afternoon Drive8:23Anishinaabemowin version of Star Wars coming soon

An official Anishinaabemowin dub of Star Wars: A New Hope will be debuting at a Winnipeg movie theatre next month before it is released on Disney+. One of the voices is Algoma University professor John-Paul Chalykoff. Up North host Jonathan Pinto spoke with him about the experience