Interview: Daisy Ridley on Bagging a Lead in the New ‘Star Wars’

What was it like when Daisy Ridley found out that she has bagged a big role in the legendary sci-fi film?

Daisy Ridley (Photo: Disney India)

Q: How did you hear about the part?
Daisy: The first time I actually heard about this I was with three friends. One is a make-up artist and the other is a stylist. Somebody said, “Did you hear Star Wars is coming out?”

<p>I immediately e-mailed my agent, and said that I really need to be seen for this. I don’t know why; I just had this weird feeling. I wound up getting an audition. So, for the first audition I was an hour early. Literally pacing up and down outside. I’d never been nervous like that before for something. It was the first time in an audition process that I felt everyone was rooting, not for me, but for the idea of an unknown person getting the part.</p>

Q: Did you know you were going for the lead?

Daisy: I knew it was a big part, but I didn’t know that it would be in the whole thing. I didn’t know what Rey’s journey would be and where she would end up. It was only when I read the script that I realized the enormity of, not only her, but her place in the whole thing.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens poster

Q: How did you find out you got the part?
Daisy: My last audition was really amazing. A few days later, I knew I’d hear from JJ, and my phone was broken. I didn’t get the call. I didn’t know what was going on. I finally got through to him and he told me I’d be starring in Star Wars.

Q: And what was your reaction?
Daisy: I was outside a theater where my friend was in a show, of which I missed the first half while all this was going on.

<p>I remember kicking a bottle on the ground like everything had changed. But it was all the same. And then I had to watch the rest of the show. My phone died. I couldn’t call anyone. I sat on the tube going home thinking, – oh my God. Not able to tell anyone for an hour. Then, finally, I could tell my mom and sister. But, it didn’t really kick in for months.</p>

Q: How did you tell your family?
Daisy: I burst the front door open and went, “I got Star Wars!’” My sister was like, what? And my mum was like, what? When I told my dad, who was asleep at the time, he just swore. That’s how it happened.

Q: How was that time for you, when you wanted to tell the whole world and couldn’t?
Daisy: The time between knowing and the announcement was so strange.

<p>I was thinking about it as if I were pregnant, like I couldn’t tell anyone until the three-month mark. It was originally a month, and it kept extending. My birthday was really hard. I sat with all my friends, and it was really hard not to say anything. As time went on, it got easier. My mom, dad and sister knew, so I had that.</p>

Daisy Ridley (Photo: Disney India)

Q: Were you a fan of the franchise?
Daisy: I remember being in the cinema and watching one, because I remember being terrified. But because I was younger than the first generation of Star Wars fans, it wasn’t such a huge thing in my life—until now. But it does permeate popular culture. It’s on magazines. It’s referenced everywhere. But it was only until this year that it became a really big part of my life.

Q: How did you feel about being on set with the legacy cast?
Daisy:

<p>When I first met Harrison, we just sat down for a coffee together. He was talking about his experience in the whole thing, not just Han Solo, but the <i>Star Wars</i> saga. Then we all had dinner together, which was great.</p>

A still from Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Q: Was that the most surreal moment?
Daisy: The first few months of doing the job was so surreal, I can’t even remember some of it. I suddenly felt part of the excitement, part of something that people were going to love and people were excited to see again. You feel you’re not alone. Everyone is part of this whole thing, trying to make Star Wars happen again in the best way. I think people are going to love it.

Q: What is it that you want audiences to take away?
Daisy: I’d love for people to feel the way we do working on it. There’s such a good feeling about the film and what we’re doing and the characters that are being made and formed in front of our eyes.

<p>I’d love for the audience to understand each of the characters’ stories and connect with the new characters, and I hope that their love for the old characters returns even more than before. I’d love for people to leave the cinema thinking, aside from all the action and the fights, that it’s an incredible story of people finding their place in a world.</p>