Rey Skywalker could have easily chosen to pursue a path toward the dark side of the Force in that galaxy far, far away. But, even though her identity was revealed to be the granddaughter of the Emperor in Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker, Rey chose to take up the moniker of Skywalker at the end of the film. And in a brand-new interview, Daisy Ridley opens up about reprising the role of Rey in Star Wars: New Jedi Order. And this time around the actress says, "I'm in a very different place than I was." Ridley also said in an interview with Total Film magazine (via GamesRadar+):
"I honestly have had moments where I’m like, 'I don’t know if I remember what I did [as Rey].' It’s really strange. I think the whole thing will feel so different anyway with a totally different team. I’m in a very different place than I was. I’m probably going to be one of the adults. And initially, I was the youngest person on set, which is a weird feeling."
Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker
*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
- Release Date
- December 18, 2019
- Director
- J.J. Abrams
- Cast
- Carrie Fisher , Mark Hamill , Adam Driver , Daisy Ridley , John Boyega , Oscar Isaac
- Runtime
- 155
- Writers
- Chris Terrio , J.J. Abrams , Derek Connolly , Colin Trevorrow , George Lucas
- Studio
- Walt Disney Pictures
- Franchise
- Star Wars
The actress also dished a bit about collaborating with director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on the upcoming Star Wars film, after having worked with J.J. Abrams (The Force Awakens, The Rise of Skywalker) and Rian Johnson (The Last Jedi) on the sequel trilogy. Ridley continued:
“I would also hope that it’s a lot of the same crew. Obviously, many people shifted, but many people stayed the same through all three films, and there was something wonderful and comforting about that. But I don’t know. It all remains to be seen. I would hope it feels natural in some way, but also like – I don’t know – like it’s a new adventure. I’m hoping it’s sort of a bit of both."
Daisy Ridley Is 'Owning It' This Time Around
Rey Skywalker is one of the best Star Wars characters not created by George Lucas. However, Daisy Ridley’s last appearance as the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) encountered mixed reactions. Many critics rated Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker poorly (51% Tomatometer), while the majority of the fans seemed to enjoy the final entry (86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes) in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. This time around, though, Ridley’s “owning it” when it comes to portraying Rey again. Ridley said in a recent interview with Empire:
“I suppose I feel more like I’m owning it. I suppose I owned it the first time. Basically, I’m an adult now. I certainly did not feel like an adult at the time. Obviously, personally, things have changed, and professionally, I’ve had lots of other experiences, and so I definitely feel like it’s a different thing this time. There’s just a lot of joy with me and these films. Honestly, if I wasn’t excited, I wouldn’t have done it. It feels like a great thing to be a part of.”
Daisy Ridley Dishes on Upcoming Star Wars Movie, Insists It Won't Be 'Weird' Without Sequel Trilogy Co-Stars
Daisy Ridley isn't worried about shooting her new Star Wars movie without Adam Driver, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac.An official release date for Star Wars: Episode X, aka New Jedi Order, hasn’t been revealed at the time of this writing. However, with production on Star Wars X likely to begin later this year, or in 2025, it’s safe to assume Rey Skywalker could return sometime in 2026.
The Star Wars sequel trilogy is currently available to stream on Disney+.