Alden Ehrenreich
Alden Caleb Ehrenreich (/ˈɛərənraɪk/;[1] born November 22, 1989) is an American actor.[2][3] He began his career by appearing in Francis Ford Coppola's films Tetro (2009) and Twixt (2011). Following supporting roles in the 2013 films Blue Jasmine and Stoker, he starred in the Coen brothers comedy Hail, Caesar! (2016), for which he gained praise. He went on to play Han Solo in the fantasy film Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) and starred in the dystopian television series Brave New World (2020).
Alden Ehrenreich | |
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Ehrenreich in 2018 | |
Born | Alden Caleb Ehrenreich November 22, 1989 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Alma mater | New York University |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2005–present |
Early life
Ehrenreich was born in Los Angeles, California.[4] He is the only child of Sari (née Newmann), an interior designer, and Mark Ehrenreich, an accountant.[5] His father was Steven Spielberg's accountant.[6] He is named after the director Phil Alden Robinson, a family friend.[7][8] His stepfather, Harry Aronowitz, is an orthodontist.[2][3][9] Ehrenreich is Jewish;[10] his ancestors were Jewish emigrants from Austria, Hungary, Russia, and Poland, and he was raised in Reconstructionist Judaism.[4][7]
Ehrenreich began acting at the Palisades Elementary School in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, and continued doing so at Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California. After graduating from high school, he studied acting at New York University at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, but never finished his degree.[11] In 2009, he co-founded "The Collectin" with his friend Zoë Worth[12], a group of New York actors, writers, producers and directors who collaborate on films and theater performances.[13]
Career
Ehrenreich was discovered at a friend's bat mitzvah reception by Spielberg,[14] who watched a comedy video created by Ehrenreich and a friend, "which began in the present and eventually cut to 20 or 30 years later, with Mr. Ehrenreich, in a kimono, screaming to stop a wedding." Ehrenreich has described the comedic performance he gave in the movie as, "I ran around as a skinny little punk, trying on girls' clothes and eating dirt." He was then contacted by DreamWorks, a studio which Spielberg helped found, and met with its casting director.[15][16][17] Spielberg said that Ehrenreich "was in a bat mitzvah video that my daughter acted with him in for their best friend. They showed me the video and I loved it and I got him an agent. That's sort of how it all began...I thought he had a lot of promise in comedy...I didn't know he was going to rogue [into] drama. He was so funny in this video, I thought, 'I have found the next really funny comedian.' But most of his choices have been in drama and people don't know how really funny he is."[18]
The meeting with Spielberg led to acting roles on television shows such as Supernatural and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.[19][20]
In 2007, Ehrenreich won the role of Bennie Tetrocini in Francis Ford Coppola's Tetro.[21] Coppola asked Ehrenreich to read a passage from The Catcher in the Rye for his main audition.[3] The film was released in limited release in 2009 and received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Ehrenreich's performance.[22][23] In 2011, he played a minor role in Coppola's subsequent film Twixt and appeared alongside Natalie Portman in the Sofia Coppola-directed Miss Dior Cherie commercial.[24]
In 2013, he starred as Ethan Wate in the film adaptation of the novel Beautiful Creatures, and appeared as Whip Taylor in Park Chan-wook's thriller film Stoker. He then played the stepson of Cate Blanchett in the Woody Allen-directed drama film Blue Jasmine. In 2016, Ehrenreich became more widely known for his co-leading role as Hobie Doyle in the Coen brothers film Hail, Caesar!, alongside a cast that included Josh Brolin and George Clooney.[25] Many critics praised Ehrenreich's performance in particular.[26] That same year, Ehrenreich starred in the leading role of Frank Forbes in Warren Beatty's romantic comedy-drama Rules Don't Apply.[27] He then starred in The Yellow Birds with Tye Sheridan, Jack Huston, and Jennifer Aniston, which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.[28]
Ehrenreich starred as Han Solo in the Star Wars anthology film Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), following Solo's early life before the events of the original 1977 Star Wars.
Filmography
Film
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | Supernatural | Ben Collins | Episode: "Wendigo" |
2006 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Sven | Episode: "Built to Kill, Part 2" |
2020 | Brave New World | John the Savage | |
Video games
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2017 | Star Wars Battlefront II | Han Solo | Voice and likeness. Content based on Solo: A Star Wars Story |
References
- "Alden Ehrenreich's Explains the Story Behind His Unusual Name" on YouTube
- "Alden Caleb Ehrenreich". FamilySearch. Archived from the original on February 5, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- Martin, Michael (May 1, 2010). "Alden Ehrenreich". Interview. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
- "Kvell Corner". Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Congregation. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
- Pappademas, Alex (April 24, 2018). "Alden Ehrenreich Is Ready to Prove He's Worthy of Han Solo". Esquire. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
His father died when he was just seven years old under tragic circumstances that he won’t discuss. His mother is an interior designer who loves movies.
- Tillett, Andy (May 22, 2018). "Star Wars' Actor Alden Ehrenreich Saw Father Get Murdered By Schizophrenic Uncle". Radar Online. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- Allen, Robert (May 24, 2018). "Alden Ehrenreich: Going Solo". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
- Motika, Libby (May 9, 2016). "Ehrenreich Earns Raves for Acting". Palisades News. Archived from the original on May 25, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
- Keeps, David A. (December 1, 2005). "Tradition, but with a twist". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
- Barshad, Amos (April 24, 2018). "Alden Ehrenreich can be your intergalactic hero". The Fader. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- Ayers, Mike (February 5, 2016). "Alden Ehrenreich's Road to the Coen Brothers and 'Hail, Caesar!'". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- "Collectin Consciousness". Interview. July 12, 2010.
- Sancton, Julian (April 7, 2010). "Alden Ehrenreich's Magic Show". Vanity Fair.
- Grierson, Tim (February 4, 2016). "Meet the Coen Brothers' New Breakout Star: Alden Ehrenreich". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
- Schneier, Matthew (May 6, 2016). "The Man Who Would Be Han Solo". The New York Times. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
- Johnson, Zach (May 6, 2016). "Alden Ehrenreich Cast as Young Han Solo: 5 Things to Know About Star Wars' Newest Star". E! News. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
- Tatna, Meher (May 23, 2018). "Alden Ehrenreich hits big time and flies Solo in A Star Wars Story". The New Paper. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- Boone, John (June 10, 2016). "EXCLUSIVE: Steven Spielberg on Discovering Young Han Solo: 'People Don't Know How Really Funny He Is'". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
- Hill, Logan (June 9, 2009). "Francis Ford Coppola's New Star Alden Ehrenreich on Not 'Trickling Up' Vulture". Paste. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
- Patel, Jay (April 15, 2016). "Alden Ehrenreich is tipped to star as Han Solo but who is he?". BBC. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
- Hill, Logan (March 30, 2009). "Blessed". New York Magazine. Archived from the original on November 22, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- Corliss, Richard (June 11, 2009). "Coppola's Tetro: An Offer You Can Refuse". Time. Retrieved June 23, 2009.
- Ebert, Roger (June 17, 2009). "Tetro Movie Review". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2009.
- Han, Angie (February 22, 2011). "Watch the Sofia Coppola-directed Miss Dior Cherie TV Commercial Starring Natalie Portman". /Film. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
- Kroll, Justin (September 2, 2014). "Alden Ehrenreich Joins Cast of Coen Brothers' 'Hail Caesar!' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
- "'Hail, Caesar!': Hooray For the Coen brothets' Hollywood Homage". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- Busch, Anita (February 24, 2014). "Warren Beatty's Untitled Howard Hughes Pic Finally Takes Flight Financed By Billionaire Boys' Club; Ehrenreich, Collins To Star In Love Story". Deadline Hollywood.
- Busch, Anita (October 6, 2015). "Jack Huston & Jennifer Aniston Join War Pic 'The Yellow Birds'". Deadline Hollywood.
- Wood, Jennifer M (May 6, 2016). "Meet Han Solo: 12 Fast Facts About Alden Ehrenreich". Mental Floss. Retrieved May 15, 2016.