Daisy Ridley, who played Rey in theStar Warssequel trilogy, has unfortunately had to deal with a lot of grief simply for existing in the franchise as a woman. But rather than let it get her down, she’s decided to help make things more bearable for those who come after her. Now she’s got some advice for all her fellow female actors who will join the franchise in the near and far future, and hopefully, her words can do some good.
Many actors have suffered the greasy wrath ofStar Warsfans simply for being different from what those fans expected. Sometimes, the studio and directors will take ill-advised cues from those same rabid moviegoers, resulting in missteps such asKelly Marie Tran’s diminished role inThe Rise of Skywalker. Things have improved in some ways, with Disney and Lucasfilm actively supporting the women and actors of color involved with their projects. But there’s still a long way to go, and Ridley has some advice to help newcomers deal with the still less-than-ideal conditions.
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Ridley recently spoke withVarietyabout the subject, offering some words of rather blunt encouragement for the women who will, sooner or later, find themselves leading aStar Warsproject. “The world is a crazy place,” she said, radiating her own experiences. “It’s important to tune out the stuff… Not just withStar Wars, but with everything, you try and be in the moment and enjoy what it is because life moves quickly.” Considering the toxic fanbase is a big reason whyRidley left social media for six years, it’s sadly pretty fitting that her advice has more to do with trying to brush these things off than actively fighting back (which would admittedly be taxing on anyone who tried).
Ridley also praised Amandla Stenberg,currently set to lead the upcoming seriesThe Acolyte. “Amandla Stenberg can handle herself. She’s been working for a long time. I sat next to someone at theWakanda Foreverpremiere, an executive, and they said [The Acolyte] is amazing.” This little detour she took in the conversation is important, as telling the women inStar Warsto learn to deal with it can be discouraging. It helps to actively build people up in the face of adversity, and Ridley knows that all too well. Maybe Disney can learn to handle racist attacks against its actors likeObi-Wan Kenobi’s Moses Ingram better with this advice.
“Everyone knows how things are and how they can be,” Ridley went on, back to the less optimistic topic at hand. “We’re all living in that, with people saying more than they need to and commenting more than they need to. It’s so individual. Find the good in it all and enjoy it.” It’s good advice. While the harassment she’s received (and likely still does, unfortunately) was harrowing, Ridley also seems to understand that dealing with it can be a different process for each person.
Fandom shaped theStar Warssequel trilogy, and one such way it did that is by effectively putting female actors and actors of color immediately on the defensive when they join up. Ridley’s words should help many newcomers steel themselves so they can enjoy being part of the franchise. But the fans need to do better, as do Disney and Lucasfilm when supporting their people against such attacks.
TheStar Warssaga is available on Disney Plus.
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