Daisy Ridley led the modern Star Wars sequel trilogy starting with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The film was loved by audiences and was incredibly successful at the box office. The next two films were both divisive with audiences and the sequel trilogy ended on a sour note with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019.
When Ridley shot the first film, there were high expectations from audiences and it was a hard and tiring shooting experience for a big-budget modern Star Wars film. She was so determined to prove herself as Rey that she forced herself to perform some heavy-duty physical activities even though she was extremely sick.
Daisy Ridley Continued Filming on Skellig Michael Despite Being Extremely Sick
Daisy Ridley starred as Rey in the modern Star Wars trilogy. The film has a majorly new cast and is set almost thirty years after Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. The film was mounted on a huge scale and the cast shot on many locations, including the famous Skellig Michael, which served as Luke Skywalker’s island on the planet Ahch-To.
The cast had to frequently ascend the rocky island to shoot scenes for the film. A lot was riding on Ridley as she was the lead of the film and she was also determined to prove herself. In an interview with Vanity Fair, she talked about continuing shooting despite being incredibly sick in Episode VII while being more weary and fearful in Episode VIII. She said,
“I had just vomited. I had adrenal exhaustion, and I was very, very sick. When I was doing Episode VII, I was kind of being washed along in a torrent of excitement and unexpectedness. When we came around to do the next one, it was a bit more scary, because I knew the expectations, and I understood more what Star Wars means to people. It felt like more of a responsibility.”
Although the last two films were divisive among audiences, everyone was on the same page about the incredible dedication and commitment that Ridley put into her role as Rey. She will now return to the role in the recently announced new Star Wars film set after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Also read: The Marsh King’s Daughter Review: Daisy Ridley Highlights Conventional but Effective Crime Drama
Daisy Ridley is Incredibly Excited for Her Upcoming Star Wars Film
In April of 2023, it was announced that Daisy Ridley’s Rey will return in an upcoming Star Wars film set after the events of 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Now in a new interview with Collider, Ridley expressed her amazement at hearing the news at the time, and surprising audiences at the Star Wars Celebration this year.
Ridley also revealed that she is aware of the plot of the film and also expressed her excitement about the project. She said,
I was shitting myself before I went on stage, because no one knew I was going to that. No one knew I was going to Celebration. Oh my God. It was such a wonderful reception. I’m very excited. The story is really cool. I’m waiting to read a script because, obviously, I don’t have any other updates. It’s not what I expected, but I’m very excited.“
I know the storyline for one film. That’s not to say that that’s all it is, but that’s what I was told about. And I imagine it will be the next film, I think. I mean, again, I don’t know, post strikes and everything, how quickly everything will start up again. But yes, so far, I know the story of one film and I think people will be very excited.”
A director is not attached to the upcoming film as of yet. As of now, Ridley is promoting her new film The Marsh King’s Daughter. She is set to star as the former American Olympic Swimming champion Gertrude Ederle in the film Young Woman and the Sea.
