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Han Solo Wants Independence Above All Else, According to Alden Ehrenreich

Published Wed, 07 Feb 2018 15:21:32 -0600

Han Solo, played by actor Alden Ehrenreich, is a character we're going to see a different side of in Solo: A Star Wars Story. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ehrenreich talked about how this Han is different from the one we meet in Episode IV.

When asked how he would describe the journey that Han is on during this movie, he says it's about a guy trying to escape his own past and get a better life. He's a had a rough life since he was young and is reluctant to let his shields down.

"I think it tells the story of a young man pursuing a dream to get out of his pretty rough upbringing, and a lot of the story is him trying to make this dream come true and finding out that it's a lot harder than he had imagined. … One of the fun things about this movie but also one of the things that really shapes him is that it takes place in a real dark underworld of the Star Wars universe."

This movie takes place a few years before Episode IV, so the Han we see in this movie is not the one we met in that Cantina. Ehrenreich explains some of the main differences between those two versions of the same character.

"I think the main thing that's different is that the Han we meet in this film is more of an idealist, he has certain dreams that he follows, and we watch how it affects him as those dreams meet new realities, realities that are harder and more challenging than he'd expected."

When asked to elaborate on what exactly Han is going to go through to change him, Ehrenreich was tight-lipped, but that he thought the Kasdans did a "wonderful" job of explaining how we get from point A to point B.

"I can't say exactly, but it definitely involves independence, and calling your own shots. I thought the Kasdans did a wonderful job of kind of retroactively coming up with what kind of background would lead him to becoming the character we all know."

Independence is an interesting word to use. Han wants to be his own man in a world run by a fascist Empire, and that doesn't come easy.

"Well, one thing that you kind of know about the Star Wars universe, but that you learn in a much more impactful way as you get into it, is that living in that universe is hard. Most people, especially during the reign of the Empire, are under the control of some kind of force or another. No pun intended. Having the resources and stability to call your own shots, do what you want, have freedom, isn't something that comes easily. So Han's dream involves making that happen for himself."

The reactions to everything Solo: A Star Wars Story has been mixed so far, but there is bound to be plenty of interesting things in here for fans to latch onto. Ehrenreich isn't playing the Han Solo from Episode IV, because people change. Our journey is watching him go from the man we meet in this movie to the one taking Luke and Obi-Wan to Alderaan.

Summary: Han Solo and Chewbacca's adventures before joining the Rebellion, including their early encounters with Lando Calrissian.

Solo: A Star Wars Story, directed by Ron Howard, stars Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Woody Harrelson, and Thandie Newton. It will be released May 25th.

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