Little did Alden Ehrenreich or I realize when we first met that he was destined to become Han Solo!
Hired to record some last-minute Hollywood South VoiceOver for Alden’s latest movie “Beautiful Creatures”, I certainly didn’t know what to expect that June morning of 2012.
In this teen-goth, supernatural, romantic thriller with a southern twist, Alden had been cast as the star-crossed lead lover Ethan Wate. And as the fates would have it, there were a few key monologue voice over tracks left un-recorded when they got to post-production.
Enter Airlift Mike and Airlift Productions.
When I answered the door that morning there was Alden, boyishly handsome, with a cheery “Good Morning”…. and a pint bottle of Jamaican Red Stripe lager in his hand.
When I questioned this rather novel approach to a recording session, he said simply that “This is for after we’re done!”
So, after it we went. Together with veteran movie sound pro Jeffrey Haupt, screen play writer & director Richard LaGravenese, a dialect coach from London, and their entourage, we laid down VoiceOver tracks for this moody suspense thriller.
Witness a taste of Alden’s acting chops here; don’t you love the faux southern accent? I mean, he was born and raised in Los Angeles, with roots further back (like yours truly) in Austria & Hungary —
And in 2016, Alden stole the show – and even upstaged George Clooney himself – in the Hollywood-Golden-Era homage Coen Brothers flick “Hail, Caesar!” as celluloid cowboy hero Hobie Doyle. Check him out here….
Fast-forward just a tick, then, and imagine our collective surprise when out of the thousands who auditioned for the part, the Lucas-Disney machine that IS the STAR WARS franchise cast this dude for the Star Wars prequel – as the NEW HAN SOLO!
You go, Alden!
So, let me see, if Alden is 36 today, back when we met and recorded together he was all of 22. Plus, he has since added to his film-starring catalogue in a big way – perhaps you caught him as the philandering, alcoholic cop Paul Morgan in the 2024 horror thriller, “Weapons”! (Nice makeup job, bruh!)
So, in any event, back to that day….
After the session, he popped the top on his Jamaican Red Stripe and began to share it with me! We went slug-for-slug like Catholics at a communion rail, laughed, and talked of his past, present and future.
But little did either of us realize on that 2012 Spring day that the future would include his casting in the biggest movie juggernaut of the 21st century!
And today, that empty bottle of Jamaican Red Stripe is still sitting up on the Airlift kitchen shelves, beside other noteworthy bottles of wine, scotch & Wild Turkey emptied after colorful past jobs to celebrate & commemorate memorable Airlift Studio recording sessions.
Happy and thrilled for you the Airlift Productions krewe is, Alden!
Thanks again for the laughs, brotherhood… and Jamaican lager.
Oh, and despite some of the sketchy reviews of your dip into the Star Wars Empire (some say “meh”), May the Force Be With You, my brother!
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“Dr. Ziants:
My dear colleague, it was a true delight to visit and work with you in your digital laboratory. I somewhat envy your remarkable equipment, which far exceeds anything we can afford here in the old city ice house. Your audio production facilities are second to none, and I thank you again for the excellent recordings you produced for the Momus A. Morgus Institute.” — Momus
** A tested-by-time Testimonial from Dr. Morgus (aka – Sid Noel Rideau) direct from the old city ice house to the Airlift digital lab via email. Check the good doctor out anytime at www.morgus.com ***
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Airlift Productions ~ Audio Alchemy & Digital Magic from New Orleans since 1984