‘Solo’ Star Alden Ehrenreich Opens up on Han’s Origin

After months and months of radio silence, fans are finally starting to learn more about Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Actor Alden Ehrenreich is filling in some rather big shoes on the movie, taking over the title role from Harrison Ford. And with the first trailers out and new plot details being revealed, Ehrenreich is opening up about the young Han Solo‘s journey.

“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,” said Ehrenreich. “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.”

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ehrenreich says the character will be somewhat different than what fans know from the original Star Wars trilogy.

“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,” Ehrenreich said.

When asked to expand on what a young Han Solo’s dreams would be, the actor alluded that it could have a specific importance to the plot they aren’t ready to reveal yet.

“I can’t say exactly, but it definitely involves independence, and calling your own shots,” Ehrenreich said. “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.”

In the interview, EW tried to get Ehrenreich to hint that Han might be in too deep with a certain vile gangster on Tatooine.

“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,” Ehrenreich said. “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.”

Expect more info about the upcoming Star Wars spinoff in the coming months.

Solo: A Star Wars Story premieres in theaters on May 25th.