Today we celebrate the 32nd birthday of American actor Alden Ehrenreich, a man with not only considerable talent, but with considerable courage. He was born November 22, 1989 in Los Angeles, California, USA, so he hasn’t even been on this planet very long, and he’s already made a considerable mark. As Han Solo in Solo: A Star Wars Story, Ehrenreich faced the impossible task of stepping into Harrison Ford’s shoes in one of the most iconic roles in all cinematic history, taking the lead role in the tenth motion picture in the Star Wars legacy.
He hadn’t even hit his ten year mark as a film actor when he encountered Stephen Spielberg at the batmiztvah of one of Spielberg’s daughters’ friend, and that led, on May 5, 2016, to Ehrenreich being was cast as Han Solo, in a prequel film that told the story of Solo’s early life before the events of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977). Being cast in a role made famous by another actor was one of the more stressful things he’d ever done.
He made his feature film debut in Francis Ford Coppola’s film Tetro (2009), and appeared in Coppola’s subsequent film Twixt (2011).
In 2013, he starred as Ethan Wate in the film adaptation of the novel Beautiful Creatures (2013). He then played the stepson of Cate Blanchett in Woody Allen‘s drama film Blue Jasmine (2013). In 2016, Ehrenreich became more widely known for his co-lead role of Hobie Doyle in the Coen brothers film Hail, Caesar! (2016), alongside a cast that included Josh Brolin and George Clooney.
“I just was over the moon, I mean I was ecstatic. It’s really special, and it’s really special to be a part of a franchise that has so much heart, and that means so much to people. And to get to play a character that has so much dimension in that universe is wonderful,” Ehrenreich said in an interview. “Some movies, I think, present ideas of the world that just don’t help people with their lives. They just present things that are fleeting or stupid. So that’s what I’m careful about – making sure I’m part of something that is saying something that I think is valuable in the world of people, not necessarily in the world of art.”
What he didn’t cover in the interview, though, was how much of a pushback there was about him playing the role. The amount of flak and noise about the film was considerable, with a noteworthy chunk of it directed at him. None the less, he revisited the role of Han Solo in the videogame Star Wars Battlefront II.
Science Fiction Roles
In addition to playong Young Han Solo, Ehrenreich was also in NBC’s Brave New World as John the Savage, and an episode of Supernatural in 2005.
Ehrenreich stays on the radar, none the less: one of Ehrenreich’s highest praise was for his role as Hobie Doyle in the Coen Brothers’ Hail Caesar! He was nominated for ten different awards for that performance.
A happy birthday to Mr. Ehrenreich, and we wish him many more years of success in his career. Vaya con La Fuerza!
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Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress #30”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.
Happy birthday, Alden!