Daisy Ridley flanked by Oscar Isaac and John Boyega in a still from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Daisy Ridley flanked by Oscar Isaac and John Boyega in a still from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Revenge of the Jedi: Daisy Ridley speaks about her training and her co-stars in The Rise of Skywalker

With the release of  Star Wars’ latest instalment, The Rise of Skywalker, we speak with lead star Daisy Ridley, while presenting our pick of some confounding theories and wishful showdowns 

Few movie franchises have managed to unite multiple generations of fans like Star Wars. And this week, it is the culmination of an epic showdown between two different generations of characters, as well. In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Rey, the gutsy scrap dealer, who has gone on to become a promising Jedi, is up against the sinister Darth Sidious. The evil Sith Lord also led a double life as Sheev Palpatine, the Chancellor of the Republic, who later on became the Emperor of the vicious Galactic Empire. While Rey (played by Daisy Ridley) was only introduced in the third and latest trilogy of the franchise, Sidious (played by Ian McDiarmid) has been the face of ultimate evil in the Star Wars saga since the beginning. 

Directed by JJ Abrams, The Rise of Skywalker brings to an end a trilogy that has polarised the franchise’s fandom like never before. While many loved how the new blended with the old in the first movie The Force Awakens, others felt it lacked the soul of the previous movies. This coupled with the cataclysmic failure of its sequel, The Last Jedi, has made the overall expectations from the latest trilogy, in kinder words, average.

<em>Daisy as Rey in a still from the film</em>
Daisy as Rey in a still from the film

However, by bringing Palpatine/Darth Sidious back into the fray, the lukewarm excitement among the fans has turned into a ‘new hope’, quite literally! With Adam Driver, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac reprising their respective roles of Kylo Ren, Finn, and Poe Dameron, The Rise of Skywalker will also feature (hopefully not for the last time!) R2-D2 and C3PO. Ahead of the movie’s release this week, we found out from Daisy how she prepared for her role and her equation with John and Oscar, both and on and off-screen. Excerpts:  
 
How does it feel to have this film as the conclusion to the Skywalker Saga? 
I think it’s great and JJ is the guy to make this film, and because he is such a Star Wars fan and his knowledge base is so huge, he can link it all together amazingly. I think it’s a very worthy ending. I hope other people feel the same. The feeling on set is one of joy, and I think everyone here feels really good about what we are doing. I think that it will go on to the screen too.

Can you tell us a little bit about your training for this film?
I started training in January, and it was amazing because we didn’t start filming until August. When I started, the focus was on health and feeling good. My main concern was just getting knackered because it’s a massive shoot, and I have been in an extraordinary amount of days. I just wanted to feel really good, and obviously, look like I had been training for a while, but my real thing was stamina, and health and just getting ready. Next, I started kickboxing. Our stunt coordinator, Eunice Huthart, is amazing, so it was awesome doing that side as well. So when I actually got into doing the stunt stuff, I felt really ready. Some of the stuff I’ve done is so terrifying. For example, I had to dive off a 30-foot platform. Obviously, I’m on wires, but also I’m diving and stopping on a mat. But because I trusted them so much, I felt like I was able to do stuff that I never thought I could have done before.  

<em> A still from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker</em>
 A still from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

What was the most challenging scene physically that you had to do?
The fight scene with Adam Driver was a challenge, but the thing that became more challenging was that we were being doused with water cannons, and it was November in England, so it was cold. But I still knew deep down that I could do it. One of the things that were actually really hard was when we were doing the speeders in Jordan. I didn’t know what we were doing, so I hadn’t warmed up properly. And because they were sort of tilted, it was really tough, so my knees were really hurting by the end of the day.

Tell us a little about the costumes.
It’s been really lovely in terms of costume, hair and makeup because for the most part, they use earthy colours, and it’s all meant to be utilitarian. The trousers they made felt nice because they were somewhere between the previous two. Then the white outfit was awesome. It’s so beautiful. In terms of makeup, it pretty much stayed the same, all-natural. For the hair, we wanted something that looked slightly more different, but with the same silhouette. So they came up with the three bulls, instead of the three knobs. It just looks a bit sturdier and the silhouette is really nice.
 
Can you talk a little bit about the camaraderie between Rey, Poe and Finn on-screen and off-screen? 
It’s been really fun because I hadn’t properly worked with Oscar Isaac before. In this one, you see Rey and Poe in a bit of a frictional friendship, which is really fun because that’s how friends are. I really liked it. John Boyega is just great. To do a film with someone you don’t get on with that well must be really difficult. I thank the universe all the time that it was John who I got to be with. Because he’s just amazing!

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is in theatres today.

OVER THE YEARS

<em>The entire timeline of the Star Wars universe</em>
The entire timeline of the Star Wars universe

DUEL INTENSITY

<em>The most anticipated showdowns</em>
The most anticipated showdowns

POSTER TRIBUTE

<em>Official movie poster designed as a tribute to the original 1977 Star Wars poster (below)</em>
Official movie poster designed as a tribute to the original 1977 Star Wars poster (below)
<em>Star Wars (1977) poster</em>
Star Wars (1977) poster

MORE STILLS FROM THE MOVIE

<em>John Boyega</em>
John Boyega
<em>Adam Driver</em>
Adam Driver
<em>Oscar Isaac</em>
Oscar Isaac
<em>Inside the Millenium Falcon</em>
Inside the Millenium Falcon

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is in theatres today.

Related Stories

No stories found.
Indulgexpress
www.indulgexpress.com