Daisy Ridley made her Star Wars debut in the 2015 movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens. She played Rey, an orphan making ends meet on the sand-covered planet Jakku. A couple movies later, she ended the Star Wars sequel trilogy as a Jedi and honorary Skywalker. At last year's Star Wars Celebration, it was announced that she would return as Rey in director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's new Star Wars movie, tentatively set to release in 2027.
Although future movies would stir up controversy, The Force Awakens opened to solid reviews both from audiences and critics. However, Ridley was in a rocky mental state after watching her first outing as Rey. The actor reflected on the experience with Clique as she promoted her upcoming feature Sometimes I Think About Dying:
"After the screening of the first film, I told myself that I was sh*t and that I was really worthless. I cried my eyes out thinking I was the worst thing that ever happened to Star Wars. I had never seen myself in a leading role, so for me, it was something unexpected and very surprising, it overwhelmed me."Daisy Ridley
To take on the leading role in a humongous franchise like Star Wars for one's first major feature film project can understandably be an overwhelming experience. Not only is the filming process difficult, but the reactions of the fans and media can be quite daunting. "When touring for the Star Wars films, the attention I get can be overwhelming although it’s a lot of fun," Ridley said.
While Rey started the sequel trilogy as a nobody, by the end she was revealed to be the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine a.k.a. Darth Sidious, who had "somehow" returned. The ending of the trilogy was much more contentious than the beginning. Some were unhappy with the wild plot swings between movies, while others were furious that Rey adopted the Skywalker surname despite having no blood relations with the family.
The backlash of it all landed on Ridley as the lead, similar to how Hayden Christensen was ostracized after the Star Wars prequel movies. Hopefully, with another movie on the way, Rey and Ridley will get to have a more positive experience, just as fans have come around to Christensen after he once again played Anakin Skywalker in TV shows like Star Wars: Ahsoka.
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