Poor Alden Ehrenreich. For as much as I expressed skepticism about him in the Han Solo role, he’s in a REALLY tough position here. There has been so much negative press about this movie’s entire process, from Lord & Miller’s floundering and eventual firing, to Ron Howard’s hasty-by-necessity reshoots that now apparently comprise 70 percent of the film, to the gossip that they hired acting and vocal coaches to try and mold Ehrenreich’s performance into something more Ford-esque. That last bit puts such a harsh burden of proof on him. He’s not the one who hired himself for the part! If he needed so much molding, why did they offer it to him? I’m sure Alden thought this was a dream come true, and instead he’s been put on the defensive; if the movie is awesome, Ron Howard will probably get all the credit, and if it’s a disappointment then the blame will probably land in Ehrenreich’s lap and people will say that Howard simply was dealt a losing hand. That is such a bummer of a position to be in for Alden, who I’m sure worked his ass off regardless of whether it was a good match or not. This town is hard. Ergo, I hope very much that he is extremely fantastic in it, and that he gets to enjoy this. Also, P.S., I wish Patty Jenkins could direct one of these. I’m just saying.

[Photos: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock, Rob Latour/BEI/REX/Shutterstock]