“It was really scary”: Daisy Ridley Nearly Ended Her Famed ‘Star Wars’ Run Before It Even Began
A household name thanks to her role as Rey in the Star Wars sequel trilogy Star Wars: The Force Awakens, actress Daisy Ridley will soon appear in another Star Wars film that will pick up after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
At the fan convention in April, Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, revealed that the actress’ upcoming Star Wars film will follow her character as she establishes a new Jedi Order. But back in 2019, the actress talked about her experience joining the biggest and most well-known franchise in the business.
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Daisy Ridley describes her experience as ‘pretty horrible’
During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, actress Daisy Ridley shared that her experience was pretty horrible, adding, “It was really scary. I just felt sick and I didn’t know anyone yet. It takes me a really long time to settle down with people.”
The actress continued, “And I do remember being behind the speeder and there were loads of people there and somebody had an umbrella over me. Even that, [I was] like, ‘Oh someone’s holding an umbrella over you? OK.’ And I remember thinking, ‘I can’t do it. I can’t do this, this is not right.’”
Ridley revealed that her mother was also in shock when she was finalized for the part, but at the Force Awakens premiere, her mother told her, “I’m nervous, but there must be a reason why they cast you.” She noted that with time that feeling kept growing inside of her, but she felt more confident now, especially about the kind of work she does.
The actress shared with British GQ in 2019, “People are like, ‘This happened overnight’. But I started auditioning in August, got the job in February and started filming in May. It was all such a long process.”
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Daisy Ridley was excited to come back to the Star Wars franchise
President Kennedy shared during an interview with Variety that the actress was excited to come back to play Rey in the new Star Wars movie. She said, “It was a pretty straightforward phone call. I started out by just saying, ‘Hey, I think we’re getting near being ready.’ We’ve been talking a lot about what we’re doing in the movie space and I said, ‘I think we’re getting close to being ready. How would you like to go to Celebration?’ That was really the beginning of it. She was out of her mind excited.”
Jon Favreau also shared that it’s just exciting and encouraging to find out that people would like to come back to Star Wars. He further noted, “It shows you how strong that community is and how big of a bond you develop. For Daisy to come back and be part of where this is going, I’m excited to see where all at what happens there.”
Daisy Ridley’s untitled Star Wars is significantly delayed to 2026
Star Wars fans expressed their excitement when it was announced that Ridley would be returning as Rey in the upcoming movie, but now, according to reports, the movie has been delayed from December 2025 to May 2023.
According to reports, the ongoing writer’s strike is to blame for the delay, and depending on how much longer it takes, fans should prepare for additional delays. Just before the movie’s official announcement, Damon Lindelof, who was at one point writing the project, was fired.
Rey would only have a supporting role in the movie, according to a rumor, with brand-new characters taking the lead roles. According to another rumor, John Boyega might also visit the Star Wars universe after Ridley.
Source: NME
