In a declaration that rings hollow given Disney’s ongoing refusal to address any of the very apparent quality issues currently plaguing every one of their studios, Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley has teased that her upcoming Rey solo film will be taking the shambling-corpse of a franchise “in a different direction”.
The Sequel Trilogy star provided this insight into her next franchise outing during a January 12th interview given to French entertainment news outlet AlloCiné in promotion of her upcoming romantic dramedy Sometimes I Think About Dying.
At one point during the interview, the format of which saw AlloCiné asking the actress for her thoughts on various photographs taken throughout her Hollywood career, Ridley was pressed for her thoughts on the Rey film’s surprise reveal at last year’s Star Wars Celebration, to which the actress recalled, “That was actually quite last minute.”
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“I was actually making my own film last year when Kathleen Kennedy said she wanted to have breakfast,” detailed the actress. “And I thought we were just having breakfast, so I was literally eating my breakfast and she said “We might do another one”, and I was like ‘Ooook'”.
“So, I thought about it for a little bit, once I knew what the story was and everything, I knew that it was something I wanted to do,” she then opined. “I think it’s a really fantastic exploration of the Star Wars world. It’s a really cool way of taking the story on in a different direction.”
Turning to her feelings on being tapped to reprise her role as the last of the Palpatine bloodline, Ridley admitted to AlloCiné, “It was very strange.”
“It took me back to being 20 because, again I couldn’t tell anyone,” said The Marsh King’s Daughter star. “Like, I went to my mom’s house and was like ‘Mom!’ and she was like “Uhh, how are we doing this again?” And then my husband was filming in LA, so he wasn’t awake, and I was like ‘Would you wake up so I could tell you!’
“And it was strange because it was all sort of secretive again, and then I came out on stage and it was very much not secretive anymore,” added Ridley. “It was wonderful, and the thing about those conventions are everyone is really lovely, and everyone’s really lovely to each other, and I think a lot of the time people online sort of make out there was discourse or whatever it is that actually isn’t shared by a lot of people and my experience has always been very welcomed.
“People have been very kind, even if they wanted the story to go here or there or everywhere,” she concluded of her thoughts on the Rey movie reveal. “It’s always like a conversation that’s respectful.”
Notably, this is not the first time Ridley has shared these memories and sentiments regarding her franchise return.
Asked during a November 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter’s Brian Davids if she could detail just how the Rey film came to be, the actress asserted, “The basic course is when I was at Sundance, I did not know. I shot my movie [Magpie] when I got back, and I had a breakfast with Kathy [Kennedy] that I thought was just breakfast. And then it was mentioned, so I thought about it. I loved the story, and I was like, ‘Okay.'”
“Things then happened quite quickly, and it felt like I was instantaneously on a stage being introduced by [director] Sharmeen [Obaid-Chinoy],” she continued. “It honestly took me back to being 20 or 21, however old I was, when [Star Wars: The Force Awakens] was announced. I was petrified, I was overwhelmed, I was really nervous but the response was really wonderful.”
Drawing her thoughts to a close, Ridley ultimately opined, “I haven’t read anything, but I know the story. It’s really worth telling, worth exploring, and I think people will be excited.”
As of writing, little is known regarding the plot of Rey’s solo film outside of the fact that it will follow the titular heroine as she works to rebuild the Jedi Order.
Ridley’s next film, Sometimes I Think About Dying, is currently set to hit theaters on January 26th.