Entertainment

'Star Wars' actor Daisy Ridley says she worried she was the 'wrong person' to play Rey and was only truly 'comfortable' on the last film

Daisy Ridley as Rey in "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker."
Daisy Ridley as Rey in "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker." Corey Nickols/Getty Images for IMDb/Lucasfilm/Disney
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When Disney first started telling new "Star Wars" stories on the big screen in 2015 with "The Force Awakens" it propelled British actor Daisy Ridley to international stardom as a mysterious young Force user, Rey.

Her story and origin were explored in Rian Johnson's divisive sequel, "The Last Jedi" and trilogy-ender, "The Rise of Skywalker."

But Ridley recently explained that she worried she had been miscast in the role of Rey while making the first two movies in the sequel trilogy.

"On the third film ['The Rise of Skywalker'] I was very present," Ridley told The Hollywood Reporter. "On the first two, I was like, 'Oh my God, they've chosen the wrong person. Oh my God, I'm gonna screw it all up. Oh my God, oh my God.'" 

But by the time "The Rise of Skywalker came around, Ridley felt settled and "comfortable" on set because she knew she deserved to be there after all the work she'd put in.

The actor explained: "And then by the third one, I had little time to pause. I still had moments of feeling like, 'Oh my God, am I terrible?' But I also knew that I worked really hard and that I was in a very safe environment with a lot of people that I already knew. So I felt very comfortable, and I really made an effort to be present every day." 

The 30-year-old star even called the film her "favorite filming experience" because she felt so at ease during production.

Ridley said: "And it was my favorite filming experience for that reason because I was really taking in everything, and none of the joy and excitement had gone. So I felt like I could breathe a little easier. I mean, I loved all of them, but it was nice to really be in my body for that last filming experience."

However, the actor isn't sure whether she'll pick up Rey's lightsaber again after "The Rise of Skywalker," saying she has "no idea" about returning because "Rey's story ended in a wonderful way with the last film." But Ridley is definitely open to exploring the character again.

She added: "But ultimately, I loved my experience, I loved what I got to do and I love the people I got to work with. So, should that happen again, even once, amazing."

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Eammon Jacobs is an Entertainment Reporter at Business Insider's London bureau. He covers movies and TV shows, with a specific focus on genres like horror, science fiction, action, thrillers, comic book adaptations, and true crime.He's well-versed in franchises like Star Wars, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC Comics, Hellboy, Fallout, Scream, Hellraiser, and the Alien movies.You can get in touch with him via email at ejacobs@bjinnox.comPopular ArticlesA CIA counterterrorism officer's cover was being a comic book author. Now, he's an award-winning writer for DC, working in Hollywood on HBO's 'Lanterns.'Ron Perlman has made peace with the death of 'Hellboy 3'Macaulay Culkin is reportedly heading to the wasteland for 'Fallout.' Here's everything we know about season 2.'Babylon' director Damien Chazelle responds to negative critical reaction: 'We all knew the movie was going to ruffle some feathers'