Being cast to a franchise as big as Star Wars is typically a life-changing experience, something Daisy Ridley learned first hand when she was cast as Rey for the sequel trilogy. She admitted she didn't initially understand the scale of what she was getting involved with, though, and director JJ Abrams gave her a piece of advice to help her prepare what was to come.
Ridley was speaking with Inverse about her latest film, Sometimes I Think About Dying, when the conversation shifted to her experience in the Star Wars universe. The actress, who only had a handful of projects under her belt at the time she was cast as Rey, and how Abrams helped her be ready for the sudden jump from small, independent projects to Star Wars.
“Understand the scale,” Ridley recalled Abrams saying. “This is not a role in a movie. This is a religion for people. It changes things on a level that is inconceivable.”
She admitted while the advice helped, she still wasn't fully prepared for how life-changing being part of Star Wars would truly be. Ridley then recalled her physical state before the release of The Last Jedi and how the stress had wracked her body at the point.
“I got tests done and it turned out my body was taking in no nutrients,” Ridley said. “I was just a little skeleton and I was just so tired. I was becoming a ghost.”
She continued saying that, while it took several years, she reached a healthier mental state and was excited for what the future holds, especially in her acting career.
Included in that future will be a return to the Star Wars universe for a new film centered on Rey's New Jedi Order following the end of The Rise of Skywalker. The film is planned for a 2026 release and will be directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
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