At the center of the new Star Wars trilogy has been the young Rey, a dedicated and altruistic orphan who grew up with legends of the Jedi. Actress Daisy Ridley, who plays her, is aware of how important the character and her story have become, even when bringing her arc to the big screen can prove to be exhausting.
During a press conference in Los Angeles in honor of the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Ridley spoke about the emotions she experienced while making the film and what she hopes her legacy in the series will mean.
Starring in one of the biggest film franchises in the world is a tiring endeavor, as Ridley has learned over the course of her time as Rey. Speaking about the most difficult things about appearing in this newest film, Ridley brought up how rigorous it can become "with the physical stuff. You train and train and train. And then the adrenaline helps you on the day to do the thing. But obviously the stamina needs to be there for you to continue to do the thing."
Despite all the physical sequences, Ridley revealed, "I would say I was more exhausted emotionally. There really wasn't a day where I was coming in and going 'that was a light scene.' Especially coming off of [The Last Jedi], which was quite heavy. Even the joyous scenes I found strange to do, and obviously, there's a lot of other stuff going on.
"And it was also tricky where there were things [director J.J. Abrams] was telling me what to do and I was like 'I know what you're asking, I just can't quite get there yet.' So getting there and maintaining that emotion... there's more of a certain singular intention that was tiring because even in the emotional scenes there's physical containment."
For Ridley, that exhaustion at points carried her through her performance, bringing naturalism to her scenes. "It's just so strange... coming back was so great, but it would be so easy to flow into it and I'd be like 'is this acting? Is this what is required?' Because I was really just bouncing off of Adam [Driver] and Oscar [Issac] and John [Boyega] and Anthony [Daniels] in such a joyous way that feels like chatting with your pals. It's strange, wondering if the general vibe is going to translate into a scene."
Reflecting on her time in the series and the impact it's had on the cinematic landscape, Ridley admitted, "I think in itself, to be a part of something... a lot of people in cinema are talking about representational change and not doing it. So I think in itself, being a part of a team of people that look a little different, that are from different places, are either different in race or gender, I think that's a legacy to be proud of.
"Like J.J. was saying, this is a film about hope, and I think we reflect the world at large. There are people all around the world up against magnificent challenges and they're fighting the good fight. The characters aren't real but what they're doing is perilous in cinema. So being able to portray even a tiny part of that in this crazy world is very special."
Directed and co-written by J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Keri Russell, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams and Carrie Fisher, with Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant. The film arrives on Dec. 20.