It's hard to imagine that ten years have already passed since The Force Awakens burst onto the big screen. We've seen Rey Skywalker seek Jedi training, challenge the Supreme Leader, face her heritage, and claim her destiny since then. News of an upcoming Rey-centric film is on many fans' minds. But in 2015, Rey was simply a scavenger with an X-wing pilot doll and a beef with Unkar Plutt. Daisy Ridley recently re-watched her performance in this first movie and opened up about the experience.
Daisy Ridley watched her performance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The actress chatted with Leah Marilla Thomas and Steven Weinraub of Collider, and they said, "The best part about being part of the Star Wars universe, according to Daisy Ridley, is being part of the Star Wars universe. What more does a Jedi have to say?"
Ridley expounded on the subject of the galaxy far, far away after a screening of her latest movie. It may be a surprise to learn that it's been some time since she cued up the movie. "I'd watched The Force Awakens maybe three times around the time it came out... and weirdly it was on at the gym when I was working out," she said. "So I saw a bit of it very recently."
Rather than having an aversion to watching herself on screen as is sometimes the case with actors, Ridley said that she's "been able to separate, sort of, watching herself from the film as a whole." She described the experience as "never really comfortable," but mentioned that "it felt really, like very sweet to watch very young Rey on the screen." It's fun to remember Rey in the days when she balked at relying on Finn and didn't know how to operate a blaster.
While her first three films in the Star Wars universe are now years in the past, Ridley definitely hasn't completely separated from her experience, as she possesses two of her lightsaber props. She donated figurines of herself to "various friends and family" after she had amassed a collection. But it's no shock that she has one piece of memorabilia:
"I have a BB-8 in my car that I can't part with... It's sort of... It's just... Yeah, I can't have it out of the car."Daisy Ridley
Even though she doesn't get around by X-wing, of course she keeps her astromech nearby.
She said that she might not make it to Japan's Star Wars Celebration in April but said she was "hoping to go." Keep in mind this could be a red herring as no one knew she would appear at the previous Celebration to announce the Rey film. She did appreciate the enthusiasm for "a Rey solo movie a.k.a. 'the new one.'" The 2023 announcement of that film was something she described as "when people are united in their love for something... It's so beautiful... The feeling that we all have together is the best part."
We look forward to seeing her in the solo movie, but can now rewatch her performance in Episodes VII-IX on Disney+.