Daisy Ridley revealed that she struggled with what to do next after the ending of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The film, which premiered in 2019, was the third installment in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. It followed the blockbuster releases of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015 and Star Wars: The Last Jedi in 2017. These latest additions to the Star Wars franchise, which originated in 1977, introduced a slate of new characters along with familiar faces from the past.
The first of these three movies, The Force Awakens, acquainted the world with Ridley’s character Rey, a scavenger living on the desert planet Jakku. An orphan of unknown origin, Rey befriends members of the Resistance, a group working to defeat the notorious First Order that rose from the ashes of the Empire. Allying herself with a former Stormtrooper named Finn (John Boyega), and joining iconic rebel forces of the past, including General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) and famed pilot Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Rey proves herself to be a capable fighter. Ridley’s portrayal of the fan-favorite character catapulted her into superstardom, swiftly making her a household name across the world.
According to Who What Wear, the end of The Rise of Skywalker left Ridley unsure with what to do with herself. After working nonstop for five years on an equally laborious and stimulating projects, Ridley found herself feeling a bit adrift. No longer tethered to movie premieres or press tours, she confronted feelings of loneliness and uncertainty in the beginning of 2020: “I guess it was sort of like grieving. These relationships and this amount of time had come to an end. It really felt like I was letting go of something emotionally.”
However, during the pandemic, Ridley eventually threw herself headlong into various projects. She attended doula training and committed to learning French, as well as honed her American accent with a dialect coach. At the same time, despite the unexpected pause, she also has a number of new movies on the horizon. Her upcoming film, Chaos Walking, is a science fiction thriller that stars both Ridley and Tom Holland. Their characters must try to survive a not-so-distant future where a disease called The Noise has wreaked havoc on the population. In this way, she hasn’t strayed far from her sci-fi roots.
While Ridley has finished her role in the Star Wars saga, her character Rey will likely remain a highlight of the franchise. She embraced the nuances of her role, demonstrating a canny, sharp-eyed demeanor that added complexity to the much-beloved Rey. Ridley may no longer be a rebel fighter in the Resistance, but her contributions to the epic space opera will not be forgotten soon in the pop culture realm.
Source: Who What Wear
