Daisy Ridley recently revealed why she would make a comeback to the galaxy far, far away to portray Rey in a future project.
It has been over three years since a Star Wars movie was on the big screen. That also means that the same amount of time has passed since Ridley and the rest of the sequel trilogy cast has been able to act as their respective characters.
The films themselves received quite a bit of backlash when they were first released, and even though some time has passed since, opinions on them haven't seemed to change.
Ridley herself was the subject of a large amount of criticism in the past, even to the point where the actress was forced off of social media (she is back and posting regularly now). However, fans seem to be more forgiving in regard to most of the sequel trilogy characters now. And now, some of the actors, specifically Ridley, may be ready to return to the franchise.
Why Daisy Ridley Would Return to Star Wars
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Daisy Ridley, who played Rey in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, was asked about making a potential comeback to the franchise.
Ridley was specifically asked if she would prefer to return periodically throughout the years or if she would rather make one huge comeback decades down the line. The actress responded by saying she has “no idea,” while adding that she believes “Rey’s story ended in a wonderful way” in The Rise of Skywalker:
“Honestly, I have no idea. I feel like Rey’s story ended in a wonderful way with the last film [Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker]. It’s already been an insane three years since that film came out. I feel like quite a different person. We’ve all gone through a massive change in the last three years, with lots of crazy things happening.”
Ridley went on to say she truly has no idea if they plan on bringing Rey back in any capacity, but if they did, it would be “amazing” because she “loved (her) experience” working on the three sequel films:
“So I really don’t know if there are plans. I just don’t know. But ultimately, I loved my experience, I loved what I got to do and I love the people I got to work with. So, should that happen again, even once, amazing. Because the dream is to really be around nice people that make you feel good and feel heard while you do good work.”
The actress also described some of the personal struggles she had during filming, specifically on the sets of The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Ridley stated that she often felt like the studio “chose the wrong” person for the role, which ultimately impacted her experience.
However, she also revealed that these feelings weren’t nearly as frequent while filming The Rise of Skywalker, a film she “worked really hard on” and a set that was “a very safe environment:”
“On the third film [Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker], I was very present. On the first two, I was like, 'Oh my God, they’ve chosen the wrong person. Oh my God, I’m gonna screw it all up. Oh my God, oh my God.' And then by the third one, I had little time to pause. I still had moments of feeling like, 'Oh my God, am I terrible?' But I also knew that I worked really hard and that I was in a very safe environment with a lot of people that I already knew.”
Ridley also stated that The Rise of Skywalker was her “favorite filming experience” because she was "very comfortable" on set. However, the actress did clarify that, even though the last one was her favorite, she “loved all of them:”
“So I felt very comfortable, and I really made an effort to be present every day. And it was my favorite filming experience for that reason because I was really taking in everything, and none of the joy and excitement had gone. So I felt like I could breathe a little easier. I mean, I loved all of them, but it was nice to really be in my body for that last filming experience.”
Is Ridley Gearing Up for a Major Star Wars Return?
Just over three years have passed since The Rise of Skywalker hit theaters, and while some fans still can’t look past some of the concepts introduced in that movie (Palpatine’s mysterious return), Disney and Lucasfilm could very well have plans to bring back some of the sequel trilogy characters.
Damon Lindelof’s upcoming Star Wars film, which will reportedly release on December 19, 2025, is set not long after The Rise of Skywalker. In addition, it will even feature some sequel trilogy characters, even though it won’t continue the Skywalker Saga story.
This isn’t the first time that Daisy Ridley has commented about returning to Star Wars. The actress said in the past that "(she'll) always be Rey," and even shared a photo to Instagram in December 2022 of her actually at Lucasfilm, fueling rumors that she could be in talks to make a comeback.
It seems like Ridley did truly enjoy her experiences playing Rey in all three films of the sequel trilogy. Now, three years later, the actress is hinting more and more that she is interested in coming back to play the character again. If she does make an appearance, Lindelof's upcoming movie seems the most likely place for the time being.
