LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 03: (L-R) Director Rian Johnson, actors Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley attend the press conference for the highly anticipated Star Wars: The Last Jedi at InterContinental Los Angeles on December 3, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Disney )
Mark Hamill wasn’t the only Star Wars star hesitant with Rian Johnson’s vision for The Last Jedi
Daisy Ridley, the actress who plays Rey and overnight superstar, recently spoke out about her “reservations” with Star Wars: The Last Jedi and the script that Rian Johnson wrote.
Her biggest concern was with being separated from John Boyega. Rey and Boyega’s character, Finn, became a fan favorite dynamic duo in The Force Awakens. The Last Jedi, however, sees the two characters physically separated for almost the entire movie.
Ridley admitted:
"“Well I, like Mark [Hamill], had some reservations about the script. I thought, ‘Where is John [Boyega]? He’s away from me, and I don’t want to be away from him.'”"
Ridley and Boyega, just like their in-universe characters, became close friends during their work on The Force Awakens. Surely, working on such a massive film is exciting, yet nerve-wracking. Ridley and Boyega had each other’s support in front of the camera for much of The Force Awakens. Johnson’s The Last Jedi, however, flipped the script.
Ridley explained why she was so upset about being apart from Boyega during filming:
"“Getting into something like this is pretty overwhelming, and John was my guy the whole way through filming and press stuff [on The Force Awakens], and it was scary. It was really scary thinking about the next chapter with us apart. And I expressed that to Rian.”"
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A similar thread among the performers of The Last Jedi seems to be the uncertainty associated with embracing and rising to the challenges of Johnson’s story writing and directing. In addition to missing working with Boyega, Ridley expressed concerns with her own level of performance:
"“There were times where I thought, I don’t think I’ve done the right thing, but Rian, if you’re happy, I’m happy. Because I think it’s that thing of being pushed and going somewhere where you can’t quite figure it out.”"
It seems Ridley experienced a journey of growth similar to that of Rey’s in the film. Maybe that’s why her performance as the new face of Star Wars has been so convincing and one of the most influential factors of the franchise since Disney’s acquisition of the property.
Ridley, like Hamill, recognizes that she did enjoy being pushed out of her comfort zone, a feeling that Star Wars fans are trying to deal with after the release of the latest installment in the franchise.
Next: Why Star Wars itself says you’re wrong about TLJ
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is playing in theatres, worldwide.