Daisy Ridleyhas candidly opened up about the impact being part of theStar Warsfranchise had on her health, including giving her a “leaky gut.” Ridley saw her career skyrocket as Rey inThe Force Awakens, but as a relative unknown at the time, the actress found the stress of the role and the intense pressure in leading the new trilogy of the franchise almost too much.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
AsRidley prepares to return to the role of Reyin a newStar Warsmovie, in a recent interview withThe Times, the actress recounted her doubts and fears when originally taking on the role. Adding that she only began to accept that her place in the saga was meant to be by the time she played Rey for a third time inThe Rise of Skywalker,she explained:
“Oh, God! Essentially, it was a leaky gut. I was just knackered. I’d never travelled that much, or done press junkets, and my body deals with stress in a very physical way, so my gut was manifesting an emotional reaction to travelling around the world, people saying hello to me in the street. And me going, ‘What’s going on?’ And worrying. ‘Oh s–t, should it be me?’ or ‘Am I good enough?’ And I only really felt I was by the third film, The Rise of Skywalker. By then, I felt, ‘OK, I was chosen for a reason.’ But it took a long time. It was super intense.”
Daisy Ridley Returns to Star Wars in a New Sequel to the Franchise
Although her original arrival in the franchise was clouded in doubt, her new appearance in theStar Warssaga is going to be a very different experience for the actress. The as-yet-untitled movie will be set15 years after the events ofThe Rise of Skywalker, and finds Rey overseeing the re-establishment of the Jedi order. This time around, Ridley clearly feels that she is more than capable of continuing her journey in the franchise, as she has eradicated the fears she harbored in her early years in the role.
The movie will form part of the new era ofStar Warsmovies that will attempt to rebuild the franchise’s reputation as a box office success. Five years on from the release ofThe Rise of Skywalker,fans still have a little while to wait before they get to see theStar Warssaga return to the big screen. While several otherStar Warsfilms are in development, such asThe Mandalorian and GroguandDawn of the Jedi, Ridley’s movie uniquely addresses the galaxy’s future direction, focusing on Rey’s efforts to rebuild the Jedi Order.
10 Best Daisy Ridley Movies, Ranked
Daisy Ridley has made a name for herself beyond her role as Rey in Star Wars. Here are her best movies, ranked.
In the meantime, there are several newStar Warsshows heading to Disney+ in the future. This includesthe Jude Law-ledSkeleton Crew,the second seasons of bothAndorandAhsoka, andThe Acolyte. For fans of theStar Warsfranchise, there is certainly no shortage of content on the horizon, but how many of them will stick the landing with one of the world’s most volatile fandoms is yet to be seen.
