Daisy Ridley is not fond of her work in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which caused her to be stressed during the filming of The Last Jedi. The actress was an unknown commodity before J.J. Abrams brought her to front pages with Episode VII, which happened to be among the most eagerly awaited films ever and also the cinematic debut of Ridley. There is no doubt that the young actress had a tremendous amount of pressure to become one of the fresh leading faces of the franchise. Despite Abrams apprising her about the seriousness associated with Star Wars, Ridley wasn’t able to fully comprehend the scope of the project until she started facing the cameras.
Thankfully, it turned out to be amazing, and Ridley’s portrayal of Rey has become a favorite of the fans and viewers are restless to see more of her. Although the character was nicely created by Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, a major reason of the success was Ridley, and she now rules the hearts of millions of fans with a multi-faceted performance suggesting that even grander things are to follow. While Rey won the fans, Ridley herself is not too pleased with her debut.
While talking to Elle, Ridley explained her emotions on the set of The Last Jedi, and she said, “I didn’t think I was good in the first film, and I was struggling with that.” She was also unsettled greatly by the absence of her co-star John Boyega who had been by her side throughout Force Awakens:
‘It’s not this big adventure that I’m on with John [unlike the first movie]. I was thinking I did the first one because I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into and I was having loads of fun, and suddenly I’m realizing what this actually is, and I can’t f**king do this. I’m highly dramatic – so it’s all ‘oh my God’…finally, I was like ‘Oh yeah, this is working.”
Ridley’s feelings are not difficult to understand. In Force Awakens, she got a nice rapport and chemistry going with Boyega, and they came across as a dynamic duo for the viewers. However, Rey had to go away from her friend as she embarked on a journey to find the exiled Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi. The icon is not known to be receptive to any visitors to his island. There is the scope of a meta angle her and Ridley suddenly found herself pitted against Mark Hamill on the Star Wars sequel, handled sentimental scenes that explain various vital questions about the sequel trilogy. That’s a huge challenge for anyone who is, in reality, a newcomer in the industry and the absence of Boyega would have impacted her performance as Rey (at least initially). Luckily, she settled in and considering the little bit that we have seen; she has more than grasped the scenario.
You might feel that Ridley is being too harsh on herself (she calls herself highly dramatic). However, it is good to see that she is not just getting swayed by the praise and is focused on becoming even better as the franchise moves forward. This means that Rey will certainly become a prominent character in the future movies as Ridley is also becoming a more accomplished actress. Fortunately for her, she was mentored by Abrams (who is also helming Episode IX) and Johnson. These are two directors who are famous for getting the best out of their actors, and their guidance makes her journey easier. While it is not easy to be at ease with the demands posed by Star Wars, Ridley has got the right frame of mind.
Source: Elle
