She may be a relative newcomer but already, Daisy Ridley presents herself like a true Hollywood veteran. One may say this British actress is a natural. Others may also point out that her experience of working in one of the most successful movie franchises of all time gave her the edge. Considering she was a virtual unknown (she was working in a pub) prior to Star Wars though, Ridley’s onscreen performances so far appear more impressive.
In the Star Wars galaxy, Ridley was last seen in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (which drew mixed reviews). The movie concludes the third Star Wars trilogy, and it also wraps up Ridley’s work in the sci-fi franchise for now. Since then, the actress has been involved in several projects that don’t require intergalactic travel.
For Daisy Ridley, Life After Star Wars Was Hard
Star Wars may be a massively successful film franchise but that essentially has consequences for some of its actors. Specifically, they find it hard to get employed again. Oscar-winner Natalie Portman, who once portrayed Padmé Amidala, had mentioned something similar after working on Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Several years later, it seems Ridley experienced the same fate.
“Weirdly, at the beginning of the year nothing was coming through,” Ridley revealed while speaking with Entertainment Weekly last year. “I was like, 'Aww! No one wants to employ me.” To make matters worse, Ridley actively went out for roles but ultimately, nothing panned out. “There were actually loads of things that I auditioned for at the beginning of the year and didn’t get any of them.” Meanwhile, Ridley also told Variety, “I just want to be in good things and work with great people.” Fortunately, it wasn’t long before she got her wish.
She Landed A Role In A Film With Tom Holland
At first, work was trickling in slowly. For starters, she got a call about voicing the PC and Xbox game Twelve Minutes where a man is forced to relive the past 12 minutes of his life over and over again after a stranger forces himself into his apartment to attack his wife. Aside from this, Ridley also booked voice work for the video game The Dawn of Art and the short Baba Yaga. And then it happened, Ridley booked another film.
Directed by Doug Liman (Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Edge of Tomorrow), Chaos Walking marks Ridley’s first feature film since her last Star Wars movie. Aside from Ridley, Chaos Walking also boasts of an ensemble that includes Tom Holland, Mads Mikkelsen, David Oyelowo, Demián Bichir, and Nick Jonas. In the movie, Ridley plays Viola, a mysterious young woman who makes a crash landing in a planet where all women have already died and men are suffering from “the Noise.” Not to mention, women are capable of hearing the men’s thoughts but not the other way around. The one who discovers Viola is Holland’s Todd and from then on, the two had to rely on each other for survival.
Throughout the film’s production, Ridley collaborated extensively with everyone working behind the camera. For instance, she decided to have some of her lines removed for her character to differentiate her more from Holland’s character. “Our script supervisor was like, 'Actors don't do this.’ But a big thing I wanted to do was have that real contrast with Todd, particularly, where everything's so loud and so out there,” Ridley explained while speaking with Entertainment Weekly. “Viola is really quiet. Often when you are launched into [something], you think it's going to be the thing, and then it isn't that thing, and I definitely clam up. So, I was happy that they let me lean into that.”
After the film’s initial cut was done, rumors surfaced that it was “unreleasable.” Eventually, reshoots had to be done. Even during this time, Ridley continued to give her input both on and off-screen. She especially had a keen observation about the Noise. “I'd seen an early cut of the film, and the Noise wasn't as present as it is now,” the actress explained. “I was able to be part of a conversation of basically saying, 'The Noise is such a vital part of this film. It really needs to be present, but it can't overshadow everything else that's going on.'” Despite the reshoots and all of the film’s star power, however, Chaos Walking still flopped.
Daisy Also Has A Lineup Of Other Films In The Works
Thankfully, Chaos Walking’s lukewarm reception didn’t dampen Ridley’s job prospects. At the moment, her name is attached to three other upcoming movies. There’s the drama thriller The Marsh King’s Daughter and the history drama Women in the Castle, which would also reportedly star Kristin Scott Thomas. Aside from these, Ridley has also reportedly signed up to voice on the animated film The Inventor, along with Marion Cotillard and Stephen Fry.
Today, even amidst the pandemic, Ridley continues to be busy with work and that’s something she’s grateful for. “I think it's been an amazing time for everybody to realize how important every single job that every single person in this world has…”
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