Daisy Ridley cried when she got The Last Jedi script and says that Rey’s a better person than she is

DAISY Ridley says coming back to the Star Wars world was even more terrifying than the first time, and that the script of The Last Jedi reduced her to tears

DAISY Ridley hates watching her own movies and, despite her praises being sung by Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy and master director Kenneth Branagh, says coming back to the Star Wars world was even more terrifying than the first time. The script of The Last Jedi reduced her to tears but franchise veteran Mark Hamill put her at ease.

You said you didn’t like your performance in The Force Awakens — how do you feel about The Last Jedi?

I feel exactly the same way. It’s just difficult watching yourself and I don’t think it will ever get easier. I have had a bit more practice at it now — Orient Express just came out a little while ago — but it’s still weird.

Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy said she thought it was a much more mature and confident Daisy Ridley who reported for duty on The Last Jedi — was that the case?

Absolutely not — and I am very surprised she said that because I felt like a quivering wreck. It’s very kind of her but no; I didn’t feel like that at all. I feel more like that now, not confident exactly, but more aware of what’s going on and what’s required of you. But it was terrifying.

Daisy Ridley says it was terrifying coming back for The Last Jedi, despite the huge success of The Force Awakens.

Mark Hamill said he was surprised and shocked by where Rian Johnson took The Last Jedi — how did you feel when you got the script?

I was also very surprised. To be honest I cried a lot because I was very nervous about not being with John. John kept me going through everything and was my constant support as a friend as well as working together every day. And yes, it’s an unexpected story so there was a lot to talk about — so I felt nervous, but luckily Rian explained everything and I thought ‘oh, OK’.

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Did Mark have any advice with you for dealing with the Star Wars phenomenon in the long term?

He never really pushed any advice on us, he just let us do our own thing really and then was just wonderful and supportive and very, very kind and that’s really all you need on those situations. All you really want is some guidance and support — and he’s also just a great person to work with. And that was enough, and that was wonderful.

How has Star Wars changed your life and have you had to make peace with the place it’s given you in modern pop culture?

I’m definitely busier — that’s really the main thing. I don’t know that I really need to make peace with anything — a lot of it overwhelming some of the time. But when you are working you are working, and when I am at home I am at home with my family and friends. Occasionally I will go to a restaurant and I will go ‘Oh my gosh’ and it’s a lot. But all the energy that is directed towards it is so positive and underneath it all is just a group of people who have been brought together by something that is very inclusive and isn’t divisive. And what more does anyone need than something that people can bond over because they love it, instead of because they hate it which is why a lot of people bond currently over a lot of things.

Daisy Ridley says that Star Wars veteran was a huge support on The Last Jedi. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS

It hasn’t all been positive though and you opted out of social media recently — why?

People weren’t very nice. Everyone talks about how I left because of a bloody gun post — I didn’t leave because of the gun post, although I will never, ever be supportive of guns, but people got the wrong end of that stick. But ultimately people weren’t very nice and — it was only a couple of people and everyone else was wonderful — but I thought, what is this worth? Is this worth me feeling terrible for a day? And it’s just not. A lot of communication is just being obscured and I’m very happy to not be there any more.

My three daughters are all huge fans of Rey — do you feel like you have become a role model for young girls in particular?

I don’t feel that. I think it’s wonderful that people respond to the character — but I am not that character, unfortunately for me. She’s a much better person than I am. I definitely feel the love that people have for her and I definitely feel the appreciation that people have for a character like that, but I can’t take credit for that. This was a character that was created by Michael (Arndt) and Larry (Kasdan) and JJ (Abrams) and Kathleen (Kennedy) and a story that’s now been developed by Rian, so I can’t take credit for it, but I am very thrilled to play her and I am very happy that film is starting to be more representative across the board.

It’s opened some incredible doors for you — like singing with Barbra Streisand — how was that moment?

That was a pretty f---king big deal. JJ is friends with her and she said she wanted to meet me and I didn’t know why. So I went to her house for tea — the whole thing was insane — and she said ‘do you want to be on my album?’ And I am thinking ‘yeah sure’ like that’s going to happen’ and lo, and behold, it did. I couldn’t believe it. It was just wonderful.

Kenneth Branagh, as Hercule Poirot, spoke very highly of Daisy Ridley’s acting in his all-star mystery Murder On the Orient Express.

Kenneth Branagh sang your praises when he was in Australia for Murder On the Orient Express — how was it working with him and Judi Dench and that all-star cast?

It’s sort of ridiculous and insane and unbelievable. It’s funny, I saw Judi in my hotel here last weekend and I said ‘Judi’. And then I thought ‘oh my god, I am talking to Judi Dench’. It was wonderful. And it was wonderful to be surrounded by that bunch of people — everyone was so kind and it was just fantastic.

Did you get to visit Australia when you were doing your voice work for Peter Rabbit with Margot Robbie and Elizabeth Debicki?

It’s just me and all the Aussies now. I used to live in Australia so I feel like I am representing. I haven’t been because of that, I have been because of my sister and because I went travelling there when I was 19. So I have set foot on your wonderful terrain but not because of Peter Rabbit — I did all of that in LA and London.

The Last Jedi is now showing.