Solo: A Star Wars Story interview – Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover talk about recreating Han Solo and Lando Calrissian roles

One of the most famous characters in the Star Wars galaxy, Han Solo is back for his own spin-off adventure. Set in the space pirate’s younger days, Solo: A Star Wars Story sees Alden Ehrenreich occupying the boots famously filled by Harrison Ford. So did he feel the pressure?

“It’s more intense because it’s Star Wars,” he says with a nod. “But the pressure itself is the same … it’s different in degree but not in its nature.”

Two days after the unveiling of Solo at the Cannes Film Festival, the 28 year-old Los Angeles-born actor is in a hotel room on the French Riviera, remarkably laid back about taking on such an iconic character.

But then he’s no newbie. Ehrenreich’s 2009 debut Tetro, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, premiered in Cannes too. Since then, he’s worked for Woody Allen (Blue Jasmine), the Coen Brothers ( Hail, Caesar! ) and Park Chan-wook (Stoker).

“It’s nice to be back,” he smiles.

Solo: A Star Wars Story film review – Alden Ehrenreich anchors feel-good origin tale

Even so, playing Solo is a different proposition. Ehrenreich was the first person to audition, as he was heading to Morocco to shoot The Yellow Birds. When he returned, he had six months of screen tests – including speaking to his hairy co-pilot Chewbacca in his native Wookie – and even then he took time out to consider why he was pursuing this.

“I made sure that if some voice came up that went ‘Don’t do this’, I would follow that,” says Ehrenreich.