Daisy Ridley Reveals Anxiety Over Rey Role, “I Thought I Ruined Star Wars”

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Rey (Daisy Ridley) in 'The Rise of Skywalker'

Credit: Lucasfilm

Daisy Ridley has opened up about the anxiety she faced after stepping into the lead role for the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

Debuting in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Rey took the lead for all three of the sequels. Four years after her last appearance in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) – which proved to be particularly divisive, even by the typical standards of Star Wars fans – she was confirmed last year to be returning to the role for an upcoming film focused on the rebuilding of the Jedi.

Daisy Ridley as Rey in Star Wars
Credit: Lucasfilm

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Rewind back 10 years, however, and you’d be surprised to hear that Ridley returned for a second Star Wars film – never mind a fourth. In a recent interview with Inverse to promote her new project Sometimes I Think About Dying (2023), the actress discussed her first experience seeing herself as Rey.

“Honestly, the first time I watched myself on screen, I literally thought I ruined Star Wars,” she said, explaining that she spent her entire flight home feeling overwhelmed and crying.

Daisy Ridley looking distressed as Rey Skywalker
Credit: Lucasfilm

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“I definitely have more grace now for it,” she added. “It’s funny now, too, because that was 10 years ago. So, if anything comes on the TV, I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m a baby! Oh my God, that’s me as a baby!’ I wouldn’t say it’s easier, but I’ve had to become more comfortable.”

This wasn’t Ridley’s last experience with anxiety in a galaxy far, far away. She previously explained to GQ how she developed holes in the wall of her gut due to stress around the time that Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) premiered.

Rey (Daisy Ridley) getting into combat position to face Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) on Pasaana in 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'
Credit: Lucasfilm

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Ridley ultimately found comfort in the quietness afforded by the COVID-19 lockdown (which hit just a few months after the release of her ‘last’ Star Wars film, Rise of Skywalker).

“Having to sit and just be still in lockdown was incredibly helpful, in a way I hadn’t anticipated,” she said. “I realized there was a lot that I hadn’t processed properly.”

Ridley will next appear in Young Woman and the Sea (2024), a biographical film following the life of Olympian swimmer Gertrude Edele. While there’s currently no release date scheduled for her return as Rey Skywalker, she recently described her next Star Wars film – directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy – as “cool as s**t.”

Are you excited to see Daisy Ridley return as Rey in the Star Wars universe? Let us know in the comments!

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