What Is Up With Alden Ehrenreich’s Han Solo Hair in This ‘Star Wars’ Set Photo?
Are you seated, Star Wars fam? You need to be seated for what you’re about to see because — and there is no easy way to break this to you — something is up with Alden Ehrenreich’s ’70s-style hair in this new photo from the set of the young Han Solo movie. And that something is not necessarily a good something. In fact, he looks less like he’s playing the junior version of Harrison Ford’s iconic hero in Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s untitled Star Wars spinoff, and more like he’s playing…you know what? I’m going to give you a chance to back away now before I say something that royally screws up your Friday vibes.
Set photos from the new Star Wars spinoff arrived online in the wee hours of the morning. While you were sleeping, TMZ revealed our very first look at the Hail, Caesar! star in the role of young Han Solo (this is your last chance to back out before I say The Thing that will Upset You):
Good people of the internet, I am sorry to say this — because I have all the faith in the world in Lord and Miller and this ridiculously charming actor and this great cast — but Ehrenreich’s Han Solo looks dangerously similar to Hayden Christensen’s Evil Anakin from the Star Wars prequels, aka The Bad Times:
I know that’s a horrible thing to say, so I want to be perfectly reasonable and fair here: It’s just hair (and a costume weirdly reminiscent of Dark Times Anakin) — fluffy, feathery ’70s-style hair. As we all know, playing Han Solo is more about attitude than good hair, which is maybe, like, 8th on the list of his defining characteristics.
Remember when we saw the first photo of Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight? People were MAD. “Ugh, this doesn’t look like the Joker I know and love. What is the deal with those scars?! So dumb!” But then everyone saw the actual movie and Ledger’s amazing, instantly iconic performance, and his Joker became arguably the best Joker of all time.
THAT SAID: Man, Ehrenreich’s hair is bad in this photo. Real bad. Anakin-level bad. Not great, Bob!
For comparison, here’s a classic shot of Harrison Ford as Han Solo:
Yes, much better.
The young Han Solo movie also stars Woody Harrelson as Han’s mentor, Donald Glover as young Lando Calrissian, Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge as the franchise’s first female droid, and Emilia Clarke in an undisclosed role. The Star Wars spinoff will arrive on May 25, 2018.