Alden Ehrenreich plays the lead role in Lucasfilm’s new feature, SOLO: A Star Wars Story, and we were able to sit down with him to talk about how he embraced playing this iconic character. But first, we were able to share a surreal moment with him.
When Harrison Met Alden
One of the first questions we asked Alden was what it felt like to take on the role of Han Solo, how much of this role was him and how much was Harrison Ford, who is known all over the world as THE Han Solo. Alden didn’t have an immediate answer for us because he was starstruck at the moment. Harrison Ford had surprised him in the interview before ours, to express his congratulations and give Alden his review of the film.
“He loved it. He thought it was awesome, and he thought it worked like gangbusters. He thought I was really great, and he said I’m going to make hundreds and hundreds of dollars.”
Oh, Harrison. What a gem.
Alden said to prepare to play Han Solo, he studied the past films, and wanted to absorb the true essence of Han.
“Something that was really important to me was to make (Han) feel like a real person, that you’re watching a real person going through something.
And you also want to feel a kind of continuity that you could grow into that guy. I basically started by watching all the original movies, very early on, and trying to absorb as much as of that as I could, so that when it came time to actually do it, I wouldn’t be thinking a lot about it.”
Han Is A Pilot
Besides the Han Solo and Chewbacca bromance we all know and love, Star Wars fans have always enjoyed the connection Han has with the Millennium Falcon. When asked about his feelings during the piloting scenes in SOLO: A Star Wars Story, Alden responds like every fan would if they were able to fly the Falcon for a living.
“There’s kind of two things that are really cool. One is that you sit down, it’s really fun, you can’t believe you’re there and it’s really surreal. That’s exciting and that’s what everybody who comes to visit the set experiences. And the other thing is about two months in, you’re in there everyday, and you realize you know what button does what, you know how the yoke feels, you know how the chair sits, and you kind of you feel like it’s yours.”
A Bio Pic In Disguise
One thought that really intrigued me as we talked to Alden, was his view of this film as something a little more than a stand-alone Star Wars story. He says what will make this particular movie even more fun for the viewers is that it’s a bio-pic.
“It’s almost like a bio pic of a fictional character. You get to watch these things that you know, are familiar with and love, come into place; how they all add up to making him the Han that we see later on. That means so much to people and it’s so fun.”
I wholeheartedly agree. After viewing SOLO: A Star Wars Story, it felt like I was falling in love all over again with one of the best characters in film. That’s says something about Alden, and the work he put into framing a character we all thought we already knew so well.
If you missed my SOLO: A Star Wars Story review, be sure to check it out before you see the film.
SOLO: A Star Wars Story hit theaters everywhere on May 25th!
