Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo and How He Deals with the Haters

Was I a potential Alden Ehrenreich hater? It’s possible. All I kept thinking was he’s not Harrison Ford when the news of Solo: A Star Wars Story was announced. Who could possibly do young Han Solo justice? I’m here to admit, I was wrong. I am now an Alden fan through and through, and here’s what he had to say on the pressure of being Han Solo.

Thank you, Disney, for inviting me to the #HanSoloEvent and providing travel and accommodations. All opinions about how I was wrong and can fully admit it are my own.

Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo

When Alden first came into the room, he looked a little bit shaken up. He was attractive, very nice, but something was a little off. He apologized and said Harrison Ford had just surprised him in another interview before he walked in here. Whaaaaa?

I love that he loves Harrison just as much as the rest of us! You could tell by the look on his face how much it meant to him. We asked him what Harrison Ford thought of the movie. “Harrison said he loved it, he thought it was awesome, 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..” We all laughed!

Harrison Ford told Alden Ehrenreich he would make hundreds and hundreds of dollars.

Alden said that he hadn’t seen Harrison Ford since before he shot the movie, and it was important to meet with him, but to make the character of Han Solo his own.

Alden:“Something that was really important to me was to make it 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 kind of trying to just 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.”

Alden Ehrenreich and Filming Solo: A Star Wars Story

One of the hardest things about landing a role as big as Han Solo is that you can’t tell anyone! He admitted he did tell his family, but shhhh, don’t tell.

One of the best parts of filming Solo: A Star Wars Story according to Alden was getting to fly the Millennium Falcon! He said, “Two things are really cool; one is that you sit down and it’s really fun, and you can’t believe you are there and its really surreal – and that is exciting. The other thing is about two months in and you’re in there, and you realize that you kinda know what button does what and you know how the yoke feels and you know how the chair sits and you kinda feel like it’s yours.”

Han and Chewie have such a great camaraderie, did you and Joonas work on that?

Alden: “I think the main thing with that is that him and I had a lot of time to do training together. So the way we meet- there’s a lot of work that goes into that, so we spent a lot of time [together]. We were the only cast members who were there in advance, so we ended up just hanging out and doing stunt training and boxing and stuff like that together for a long time, which was really great. 

And he’s the whole package, he’s seven feet tall with blue eyes. He went to film school, he is hilarious. He’s just perfect for it. And I don’t think everyone even realizes the amount that he has to do technically and also he has this big heart and exudes that and you really feel it. It was some of my favorite work in the film, doing those scenes.”

Alden Ehrenreich and How He Handles the Pressure of Being Han Solo

After I saw Solo: A Star Wars Story, I was a fan of Alden Ehrenreich. I was so glad he wasn’t Harrison Ford and that he didn’t try to be him. That’s not what this movie is about. Alden brought his own swagger, his own chill vibe. I asked him how he handled the pressure. Because you know, I was one of those jerks that doubted him.

Alden: “There’s certainly more pressure with something like this, because it’s so enormous, of course. But the kind of pressure is the same as it is on any movie, which is you want people to really like it. And the only recourse you have in the face of that is to concentrate on what you have control over, which is not very much. You concentrate on your task at hand, the character you’re tasked with, and your job that you have to concentrate on.  So you just try to pour your energy into that.”

The only recourse you have in the face of that [pressure] is to concentrate on what you have control over. -Alden Ehrenreich

That’s just a great philosophy on life in general. There you have it, folks. Alden Ehrenreich is a gem. He was incredibly sweet, humble, and genuine. Those same qualities translate on the screen as well. Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo is the real deal.

I said I was a fan of Alden after I watched Solo, and now after having interviewed him, I’m a super fan! This guy is the real deal. He even noticed my shirt, and said he liked it. I asked him if it was weird to see his face on my shirt. He answered, “Yes, pretty much.” Alden Ehrenreich is all of us!! I just love him.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is in theaters May 25th!!!

Check out my ‘Is Solo: A Star Wars Story kid friendly‘ parent review to see if you should take the kiddos! If you want to know more about Han Solo before you watch this film, then watch these Star Wars movies in order.