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Exclusive Daisy Ridley Interview: STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS #StarWarsEvent

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Disney provided me with an expense paid trip to Los Angeles for the #StarWarsEvent in exchange for my coverage of the events of the trip. No other compensation was given. All opinions, experiences, memories and character crushes are 100% my own.

Only 4 more days until STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS hits theaters! This week I will be sharing my exclusive cast interviews, so if you are a STAR WARS fan, stay tuned for some exciting coverage! Last week, I shared my exclusive interview with Harrison Ford, AKA Han Solo. Today, I’m sharing the lovely conversations that I shared with Daisy Ridley. Daisy plays Rey in STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS and as you will see from this exclusive Daisy Ridley interview, I think we can expect amazing things from Rey.

Daisy is such a lovely young lady. Beautiful (obviously) with the most wonderful accent. She is very positive and cheerful, and she seemed very humble and thankful to be in this position.

Daisy on her character Rey

Rey has been referred to as the Luke Skywalker for a new generation. When asked how she feels about that, I love Daisy’s answer: 

I didn’t think of the character in those terms when I was doing it, because I think that might have been slightly overwhelming. But now I can see all of the characters in her. She’s a pilot so there’s Han. And she’s a kick-ass woman, so there’s Leia. But definitely the humble beginnings and an incredible story is the same as Luke. Obviously it’s very exciting that I’m a girl and that more people hopefully will be able to relate to this story because of that. 

Perhaps people that haven’t been able to relate so much before, will now. I wasn’t a huge Star Wars fan before, so I’m hoping that the fact that I’m as excited as I am, I hope that other people can feel that. And perhaps feel like this is something that they can now come on board to if they haven’t already felt that. 

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Her “walk-up” song

In an earlier interview, Daisy mentioned that Mulan was her “walk-up” song. This prompted us to ask her if there were other characters or female roles in the movies that inspired her work as Rey. 

Matilda is my favorite film and although Rey can’t make jugs of water tip over, obviously the stories are different. But being in a place that isn’t fulfilling and that isn’t emotionally giving you what you need. And not being appreciated. Matilda’s obviously in a family that doesn’t do that to her and Rey has no one. To go on a journey and of self discovery and push yourself beyond limits and- and meet people who bring the best out of you. I can definitely see those parallels. 

The franchise

When asked if she was aware of how huge the Star Wars franchise was she laughed and answered:

I’m glad I kind of didn’t know how far it reached.  Because it was really only at the convention this year, the first convention we did, that I was like oh my God. There are a lot of people here. And everyone is here for the same reason. I think that would have been quite overwhelming if I had been dealing with that while also dealing with the fact that I’m just a young girl being thrust into this thing, I don’t quite know why I’m here and all that kind of stuff.  I was already dealing with that so I’m glad that I wasn’t dealing with the rest of the stuff. Daisy Ridley plays Rey in STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS

I was always kind of more of it’s like it’s nice for me that I don’t have that sense and I still enjoy it as I do, because I think not everyone is a super fan. And to be a representative of those other people is great.  By the way, I talk so much, I’m so sorry if I don’t answer you, I’m not consciously doing that. I just waffle and I can’t remember what I was talking about in the first place.

*I left that last part in the interview because I think it’s just darling how open and honest she is… even when she “waffles” off track, just darling!

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Daisy on being an action figure

One of my favorite parts of the interview was when Daisy talked about the action figures. She was hilarious as she looked at them, and she told us a funny story about receiving a box of action figures when she was at home alone. Only her dog was there with her and he just wasn’t too impressed, she joked. She lived with her sister at the time and I love that her sister told her that once she moved out she was going to take all of the action figures and create a shrine to Daisy. So funny.

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When asked if she was going to continue to collect them, she joked that they might be hard to find as she had heard that they were selling out fast!

The audition process

Daisy Ridley plays Rey in STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS

I love that Daisy had a great feeling about his role all along and as you can see from her answer, she moved through the audition process with a very positive attitude:

My audition process was very long. I‘ve never been as nervous for an audition as I was for it, I turned up an hour early. I was like, I can’t be an hour early, so I went to a coffee shop to like sit and chill. And then I went in half an hour early, they were like, no you need to come back, because you’re still too early. And it was just over in a flash. You put so much pressure on yourself when you think about it so much. Because even before I started auditioning two of my friends had said something about it and I was like, oh my God, I’ve got a really weird sense of something that was going to come from it. 

So I already had that in my mind that was kind of pushing me forward. But because of that, I was obviously putting a great deal of pressure on myself. I didn’t really enjoy the audition process and I felt like I was kind of screwing up. Luckily J.J. obviously saw something and then in my last audition I really felt like I did a good job. And I was really pleased. Luckily I got the role. So that was a good ending.

Daisy Ridley plays Rey in STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS

I quite like myself as a person. I think everyone can be hard on themselves but I think all too often people are far too hard on themselves and it’s not celebrated enough that people can actually enjoy themselves.” ~Daisy Ridley

Similarities

What similarities does Daisy see between herself and Rey? 

Obviously I see a lot of myself in her. Because it’s me playing her. I quite like myself as a person. I think everyone can be hard on themselves but I think all too often people are far too hard on themselves and it’s not celebrated enough that people can actually enjoy themselves. But all of the qualities I think maybe I possess in small things, I think Rey has in greater amounts. 

So I like to think I’m kind of brave but she’s far braver. I like to think I try and do the right thing but she far exceeds that. She’s not polished and I think that’s why she’s so brilliant and so relatable. She’s far more of anything I think I could ever be. I guess because of her circumstances and the fact that she’s not real, I don’t know. I’m brave and honest and open. Like I hate lying. I’m a very open person, and she’s open to everything that’s going around her, even though it scares her. Even though it makes her feel like she wants to run. She kind of plows on, so I hope I have those qualities. 

Daisy Ridley plays Rey in STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS

On seeing herself in the film and in trailers

It’s weird because I kind of thought I’d feel like- when I watched the trailer – I thought I’d feel like that watching the film. But I didn’t. I felt like that after I finished watching the film. but it was far more complex than watching the trailer. I felt an overwhelming sense of oh my God, look at what I’m part of. All of the work that’s gone into this, is just incredible. Thousands of people and time and energy and love has gone into this thing and that was really the beginning. We had seen the teasers but it was really like obviously the beginning of that.

So watching the film, I kind of thought it would be like that and it kind of wasn’t. I enjoyed it. But watching myself was very odd, really odd. And I was talking to Harrison, Harrison said he still doesn’t like watching himself. So I’m like if he doesn’t, it’s all right that I don’t. After like an hour we all kind of sat around having a chat and then I got in the car and just wept the whole way to the airport. But I didn’t quite know why. 

I would be fine and then suddenly it hits you and the tears come and- and you don’t know why you’re doing it. And then it kind of settles again and then you remember that you were just like that.  And then the ten-hour plane journey home. I would sleep and then I would wake up and I’d be panicky. It was really weird. It was like so much more than watching the trailer. But the overwhelming sense is the same. I’m still so incredibly pleased to be part of it.

I still can’t believe I’m part of it. And that this is a thing and that people are going to enjoy this that much. I still grapple with the fact that that it is happening.   

Daisy Ridley plays Rey in STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS

What young girls might take from this film

I think I’ve been very lucky in my life to be able to look up to incredible women. Me and my mom have an amazing relationship. And she is really an amazing woman.

And my Gram. My mom has a group of friends who we kind of grew up with. I don’t really have very much close family so they kind of formed ours. I remember when I was auditioning, I met Kathy and I didn’t really understand who she was at that point. That’s obviously embarrassing now. She asked me who I looked up to and I remember talking about them and now I look at Kathy and think, oh my god. She’s another person. She’s another woman I look up to.  So it’s funny, because the women I look up to are older. They’re wiser. They have far more life experience. But Rey in her way has lived a life and she has wisdom probably beyond her years. And the thought of girls being able to relate to a character in a film, where perhaps girls can’t find in films so much of what they can physically like see themselves in. They can’t follow a story sometimes if there’s nothing that’s representing them in the film. So to be part of that is incredible. 

I’m just an actress, I’m not changing the world. But to be part of something that is perhaps groundbreaking and to be part of like a movement of women, not just in film, all over the world and all different sectors. That is an incredible thing. 

If Daisy had a lightsaber…

Cutest answer ever! Daisy said that if she had a lightsaber in real life, it would be like a disco ball. It wouldn’t do any harm. 

I really don’t condone violence. It wouldn’t do any harm but it would just really get the party started.

I really don’t condone violence. It wouldn’t do any harm but it would just really get the party started.” ~Daisy Ridley

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS in theaters December 18, 2015!

Star-Wars-Poster

Can’t get enough of the STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS excitement? Check out my post from the STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS press junket which includes fun new merchandise photos, costumes, a BB-8 video and more!

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS Trailer

Make sure to keep up with all of the latest STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS excitement!!
Follow STAR WARS on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. The STAR WARS:THE FORCE AWAKENS website is also an awesome resource for fans!

Photo credits to Disney and MomStart.com

Remember! STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS in theaters December 18, 2015!

Meet the author – Keri Lyn

The creative and frugal mind behind She Saved for over 12 years now, Keri Lyn shares her adventures in parenting along with her love for family travel, country living and brand marketing. A self-proclaimed “brand loyalist”, Keri Lyn is known for her strong and enthusiastic voice when it comes to the products and brands that she loves. She Saved has become a community for like-minded consumers who appreciate saving money, time and sanity by getting the best deals on quality products and experiences.

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