“I’ll miss getting a hello and a nice hug every day,” says actress Daisy Ridley of playing Rey alongside her castmates, part of the behind-the-scenes stores Ridley shares in PEOPLE’s new special issue,“Star Wars: The Essential Guide toThe Rise of Skywalker.”
Ridley was virtually unknown when cast as the Luke-like protagonist of this latestStar Warstrilogy. John Boyega and Oscar Isaac had more roles under their belts when stepping in as Finn and Poe, respectively, but nowhere close to “I have my own action figure” levels. Director J.J. Abrams wanted fresh faces for these roles, in the spirit ofStar Warscreator George Lucas casting Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford in the original trilogy.
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Rey looks to have a final face-off with a resurrected Emperor inThe Rise of Skywalker, amid a fan theory that Rey could represent the launch of Jedi 2.0. All Ridley will say about that is, she felt good about doingEpisode IXstunts: “I got my green belt in kickboxing, which I was thrilled about.”
Boyega will also only tease howThe Rise of Skywalkerplays out. “Finn is a fighter in a war that’s been spoken about for so many years,” says Boyega, who, like Ridley, is also a 27-year-old British actor. “It’s the end of the Skywalker saga, and it confirms a lot of things.”
Anthony Daniels, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, director J.J. Abrams, Daisy Ridley, Kelly Marie Tran, Naomi Ackie and Keri Russell.Richard Harbaugh/Disneyland Resort
While Rey and Finn may have always been destined to see the end of this war, Poe was going to die in 2015’sThe Force Awakens, at least in an early script. Then Isaac and Abrams got to talking about story possibilities and, four years later, Poe is leading the charge inEpisode IX. “You really get to know who Poe is inRise of Skywalker,” Isaac says. “He’s not this lone wolf anymore, flying on his own. He’s part of a team.”
But over the course of these latest three movies, Ridley has gotten used to being an action figure and is ready for more heroic roles. “I would do it again in a heartbeat,” she says. “I just want to continue working with awesome people.”
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkeropens Dec. 20.
source: people.com
