Daisy Ridley Says "Never Say Never" to a 'Star Wars' Return

When the name Daisy Ridley is said, many people likely associate the actress with the Star Wars character, Rey. As any Star Wars fan knows, Ridley played Rey over the course of five years in The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019). After the films, Ridley seemed to not plan to return to the Lucasfilm franchise, but now, it seems her tune has changed.

Ridley’s time as Rey was seemingly an experience of growth for the actress. Considering the British actress did not have much experience in the world of Hollywood, booking the role of Rey was a huge step up from the single episodic bookings she was used to getting. Ridley entered a fandom that had over 40 years of history and, with that, came scrutiny of her every move.

Although Ridley starred as the lead character in the latest Star Wars trilogy, the level of importance the films had to Star Wars fans left Ridley under attack when they did not like even the smallest details. Ridley ended up having to disconnect from social media due to the harassment she faced.

Since many fans were unhappy with the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga, they took out their frustration on Ridley, which was hard on her. Due to this, it seemed understandable as to why Ridley was not so keen to jump back into the franchise. The actress was happy with how Rey’s story wrapped up, and was able to go on to play lead roles in other films, such as Chaos Walking starring Tom Holland (Spider-Man), without the pressure Star Wars fans imposed.

That being said, in an interview for the April 2021 issue of Empire, Ridley seemed open to returning to Star Wars in the future:

While Rey is probably finished “for now,” she reflected, Ridley has a “never say never” attitude toward the future. Ridley said she was floored to see Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian, and she could potentially see Rey coming back in the future as well in some capacity.

“I mean, never say never,” she said.

“I’m always open to a revisit,” she said of Star Wars. “But also the beautiful thing is it’s this wonderful, huge universe with all of these stories that have yet to be told. I think there’s a lot of cool things to be made before any potential revisit.”

“I don’t think it’ll ever feel properly like goodbye because it’s such a wonderful little web of people. It’s a really nice club to be a part of. Plus, I had such a good time. I loved my experience. In terms of revisiting the character, I think that’s a bye-bye for now,” she said.

From this, it is clear that although Ridley is not opposed to returning to the franchise as Rey, she does not anticipate the return happening anytime soon. The actress is still very young and has a full career ahead of her and is currently “open to whatever cool stuff comes [her] way”.

Aside from Chaos Walking, which will debut on March 5, Ridley is slated to star in Women in the Castle, Kolma, and A Woman of No Importance. Plus, the actress has even shown interest in playing Spider-Woman in the rumored Sony-Marvel film. 

It was interesting, however, to see that Mark Hamill’s epic return as a CGI Luke Skywalker in Season 2 Episode 8 (“Chapter 16: The Rescue) of The Mandalorian left Ridley just as gobsmacked as the rest of us.

Ridley also had the chance to work with Harrison Ford who, of course, played Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy. The actor, who likely never anticipated the Star Wars franchise would continue for decades to come, left the George Lucas franchise in 1983 after Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, but then was given the chance to return to the fandom years later in The Force Awakens. 

Unlike Ford, Ridley entered the Star Wars franchise during a time when it is almost guaranteed that it will go on for decades more. With Disney+ creating at least 11 Star Wars series in the next few years, more movies in the pipeline, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge residing at both Disney World and Disneyland, Ridley could probably find a way to return if she ever wanted to.

Empire went on to note that, “Ridley says she remains in touch with the other stars of the newer Star Wars films–including John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and director JJ Abrams. When they caught up most recently, they talked about the TV show Drag Race.” The article also noted that, “Ridley’s response is different from Isaac and Boyega. Isaac has said he will only come back to Star Wars for the money, while Boyega has said he has no interest in playing Finn again.”

Do you think that Rey should return in a future Star Wars film or series?