The Stars Align for Solo: A Star Wars Story ’s New York Premiere

The Stars Align for Solo: A Star Wars Story’s New York Premiere

Any Star Wars fan will tell you Han Solo always shoots first. The reputation of the franchise’s favorite smuggler proceeds him, but his backstory has been consistently vague—until now. Solo: A Star Wars Story fills in the the blanks with an action-packed origin tale that explains everything from Han’s surname to how he met his faithful Wookie companion, Chewbacca. The film which premiered in New York last night with a star-studded Cinema Society screening at Chelsea’s SVA Theater offers a new look at a classic character, complete with all the twists and turns we’ve come to expect from Star Wars’s onscreen spinoffs.

For leading man Alden Ehrenreich, stepping into the world’s biggest franchise was a blast, especially the fateful moment when he found out he’d gotten the part. “[I was] so thrilled. Over the moon. It's hard to even wrap your head around it it's so exciting,” he shared pre-screening. Already a regular in films by the Coen Brothers and Francis Ford Coppola, taking on Star Wars’ world of weird creatures and larger than life fights came with a few welcome surprises. “I don't think I really had a grasp of the athleticism that goes into an action movie,” said Ehrenreich who pulled off more than his share of dramatic stunts. Taking on a beloved character may invite comparison to the original, but Ehrenreich—in true Han Solo form—was unfazed. Wanting the audience to view the film with the same sense of wonder he had when he saw A New Hope. “I just hope they have that experience that I remember having as a kid, which is this tremendous sense of excitement and fun—just watching this great adventure story take place,” he says.

The sentiment was echoed by his co-stars. Coming into the project with a love of its source material and an understanding of exactly how massive its reach is they were eager to share their collective enthusiasm. Onscreen Paul Bettany’s villain, Dyden Vos, is an agent of chaos, but the actor's recollections of being immersed in George Lucas’ world for the first time were appropriately upbeat. “It was 1977 and I was six, it amazing and changed the whole world for me,” said Bettany. “It was a bit like in the Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy steps out and suddenly the world is in color!” On hand with his sons, Thane and Stellan, he awaited their verdict on the sci-fi extravaganza. Likewise, Glover had to contend with a resident Lando Calrisian superfan—his mom. “I knew I had a bunch of big shoes to fill. My mom's a big Billy Dee Williams fan,” shared Glover. “As you can see, she's not here right now. She'd much rather watch Empire Strikes Back!”

For Emilia Clarke, whose cunning Qi'ra provides some of the film’s best moments, the experience was equally compelling. “The fact that a franchise can be what it was to everyone before inspiring today’s filmmakers and then reintroduce itself in exactly the same space for a whole other generation is kind of amazing,” said Clarke. Resplendent in a striped Alessandra Rich, Clarke upped the evening’s glamour quotient, but she wasn’t above geeking out over her intergalactic moments. “I'm used to the big sets and big movies; Game of Thrones is huge, but I was a part of the growth of that process, I was introduced to this world when it is [already] so huge,” said Clarke. “It's fascinating to jump onto something when there’s so much there. Everyone brings their A-game. Everyone you're working with is working at the highest level of professionalism.”

Naturally, New York’s It crowd flocked to see one of the summer’s most anticipated titles. With everyone from Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk to Tiffany Haddish and Zazie Beetz joining the cast at Le Bain on the rooftop of The Standard after the screening–the force was with the party as it stretched into the wee hours.