The one thing I can say for sure about Alden Ehrenreich is that he needs to get ready to soon become a household name! His performance as Han Solo in SOLO: A STAR WARS story was excellent and he is quickly becoming a fan favorite! Thanks to my partnership with Disney, I had the chance to attend an exclusive interview with Alden Ehrenreich right after the world premiere of the film.
When you meet Alden Ehrenreich, you immediately want to love to him because, well, because he’s simply a nice, likable guy! He can bring the sarcasm and swagger to the screen but in real life, he’s very much like the cute, smart, and somewhat shy boy next-door who instantly charms you with his smile.
Moments before Alden Ehrenreich met with us for the interview, he was surprised by an impromptu visit from Harrison Ford! (Yes, Harrison Ford was in the same building I was – WOW!
If there was ever a time to use the word “awesomeness!” this is it!!)
Ehrenreich was still beaming from the experience and incredulity of the moment. It was lovely see the look of wonder on his face and the genuine joy bubbling up from inside.
When Harrison Ford approves of your portrayal of his iconic character, Han Solo, it’s a happy day, indeed! (For the record, I also approve: catch my review HERE.)
While fame doesn’t seem to be rocking his even-keel demeanor too much yet, he shared that his family is thrilled and excited. They are not exactly helping him to stay grounded as they can’t stop talking about his participation in the film.
Ehrenreich said there there is an enormous amount of pressure with a well-known entity like STAR WARS, but “the kind of pressure is the same as it is on any movie, which is you want people to really like it.”
As a child, Ehrenreich’s favorite Star Wars film was THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK as he really like the character of Yoda and the deep philosophical wisdom present in the film. He had some of the toys and action figures and often dreamed of piloting the Millennium Falcon. When he found out he got the role of Han Solo, it was a surreal experience for him.
“I think it’s kind of like your mind is blown,” said Ehrenreich. “You’re just in a daze such as I am right now. And you just kind of can’t believe it, it’s so thrilling and so exciting.”
During filming of SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, Ehrenreich tried to infuse some of the original Han Solo’s quirks (though we won’t share which ones as to not add in an spoilers!) One of the things that was most important to him in his portrayal of Han Solo was to make sure the character was viewed as a “real person.” He wanted to ensure that there was continuity in the Star Wars universe and that the young Han Solo character he developed was viewed as someone who could grow into the later version of Han Solo that fans are familiar with.
“You try and identify for yourself what you have control over, and just kind of concentrate on your job and your work,” said Ehrenreich. “I’ve treated the whole experience like a great exercise in learning in a very high stakes, very big situation – how to navigate how much you care about, what weight you give to the opinions and thoughts of other people and how much you try to listen to yourself.”
From what I saw during the first viewing of SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, Ehrenreich has navigated the scene well and delivered an exceptional performance for us to enjoy! He is Han Solo before he was Han Solo, he is an embodiment of the spirit of in which Harrison Ford played the role, and he is a delight to follow on this amazing journey!
