Summary

Collider’s Steve Weintraub chats with Daisy Ridley for Martin Campbell’s Cleaner.

In this interview, Ridley breaks down her training process for the film and discusses working with Clive Owen and performing her stunts.

Ridley also talks about Star Wars, her favorite movies and TV shows, upcoming projects like We Bury the Dead, and what else she’s got in the works.

Since her massive breakout as Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, actress Daisy Ridley has taken the opportunity to expand her reach in the industry. She not only headlines major franchise blockbusters but lends her star power to indie projects like 2023’s Sometimes I Think About Dying, which she also served as a producer on. Alongside life and creative partner and screenwriter Tom Bateman, the duo also collaborate on original feature ideas like last year’s Magpie.
Most recently, you can catch Ridley tackling yet another filmmaking first as she leads a heart-pounding action movie in Martin Campbell’s highrise thriller Cleaner. In the film, Ridley plays Joey Locke, an ex-soldier and window cleaner who discovers that a group of criminal activists have taken hostages in the building she works for, including her younger brother (Matthew Tuck).
Following a special screening in NYC, Ridley sat down with Collider’s Steve Weintraub for an extended Q&A to talk about working with Campbell and Clive Owen on their Die Hard throwback, the intense training process, and performing stunts. She also discusses her Star Wars legacy, her interest in Greta Gerwig’s take on The Chronicles of Narnia, her SXSW zombie movie, and the many projects she has cooking. Check out the full conversation in the video above, or you can read the transcript below.
Get to Know Daisy Ridley

Which director is she hoping to work with? Will she be in the new Harry Potter series?

COLLIDER: Before we get into Cleaner, I want to do something called “Get to Know Daisy Ridley.” What movie do you think you’ve seen the most?
DAISY RIDLEY: Maybe something like Love Actually. But also, it’s probably an animated movie. Oh god, Love Actually.
Before getting cast in The Force Awakens, you worked in two pubs in London. What were the pub’s names, if you remember, and what’s your strongest memory of that time being, I guess, a bartender? I don’t know what you did.
RIDLEY: I was a bartender, yeah. The two pubs are quite near my mom’s house, so I’m not going to shout them out. But the very strange situation I had was there was a guy that used to come into the first pub I worked in, so I hadn’t seen him in years and years and years. I was in Paris doing press for Sometimes I Think About Dying, and we were not in the center of Paris, and I was having breakfast. I was looking at this guy, thinking, “I really recognize this guy. Is he an actor?” And he was the guy from the pub! He came over. He was so sweet. Weirdly, he did a book about David Bowie, which is also very strange. We had this strange reconnecting in Paris somewhere after I hadn’t seen him since I literally served him a glass of wine in the pub years before.
That’s crazy.
RIDLEY: Yeah!
How many times have you watched The Force Awakens?
RIDLEY: [Laughs] Imagine if I was, like, “Fifty.” I’ve watched it maybe three times around the time it came out. And then, weirdly, it was on in the gym when I was working out, so I saw a bit of it recently.
Can you watch yourself on screen, or are you one of these people that you go to the premiere, say hi, and then immediately disappear?
RIDLEY: I feel like I’ve been able to separate watching myself from the film as a whole, and I want to watch the film as a whole. It’s never really comfortable, but certainly, when it came on recently, I was like, “Aw!” It really felt very sweet to watch very young me on the screen.
If you’re feeling down, what is the movie or TV show you go to?
RIDLEY: Friends, probably.
I’ve heard that from one or two people. What is your go-to fast food choice?
RIDLEY: Oh, a burger from a place called Honest Burgers. They do a banging vegan burger.
What’s a project that you wish more people had seen?
RIDLEY: Oh, that’s interesting. Probably Magpie, though many of you have seen it, because it’s very personal and close to my heart, and I love the movie.

50:49

Related

Daisy Ridley Discusses Her Nolan-Inspired Film ‘Magpie’ and How “Surreal” It Was To Meet Another Rey at Disneyland

Joined by Tom Bateman and co-star Shazad Latif, they discuss their whirlwind production, ‘Star Wars,’ of course, and Kenneth Branagh.

If anyone has not seen Magpie, it’s an idea by Daisy and really good. What’s a stunt you wish you didn’t do?
RIDLEY: Interesting. I mean, there is a bit in this—not that I wish I didn’t do it, but when I drop from the ceiling, when I suddenly become Spider-Woman, and I drop from the ceiling and put the bag over the guy’s head, the way I was being maneuvered, I had to be wrenched so hard and was smacked into the thing. I think I pulled something out of my shoulder because we had to do that quite a few times. So, it wasn’t that I wish I didn’t do it, but it was one of those ones that it lasted a while, the pain.
Would you say that was the toughest stunt of your career?
RIDLEY: No. That one was tricky, though, because of the choreography. Basically, I was up there and there were two guys holding me in the corner on a rope. So, it wasn’t a pulley system, and often that is how you measure everything. But when it’s people, there’s a margin of error. So, someone had to hold my toes because I was swinging. The way it was, I was sort of free-gliding in the harness, so someone had to hold my toes, then hey would have to run away, and they would go, “Three, two, one, action.” My heart’s pounding because I know I have to land in the right place, put the bag over the head, do the wrench, and get it all right. So, in terms of choreography and making sure it was camera-ready, it took like 15 tries or something. It was intense.

Image via Quiver Distribution

Speaking of takes, what’s the most takes you’ve ever done for a project and why?
RIDLEY: Martin [Campbell] was a many-taker. He really is so specific about everything. I would say that we probably did more takes with him than I have done before. He’s just very specific.
Do you still have someone on your bucket list that you’re begging your agents, “Get me in that movie or TV show?”
RIDLEY: Yeah. I mean, there’s loads.
Is there someone at the top of the list?
RIDLEY: Greta Gerwig is up there.
Have you asked to be in Narnia?
RIDLEY: Yeah, but I was like, “It’s gonna be Saoirse Ronan,” and do you know what? I’m such a huge fan. Of course, she’s going to be absolutely amazing. And it might not be. But, yes, I asked. I’m shameless.
By the way, you should. I say this to people all the time: you should absolutely put out there that you want to do something.
RIDLEY: I just feel like she’s so brilliant with actors, and the fact that actors keep working with her again is such a testament to her. I love her movies.
If you had the opportunity to talk to someone who is no longer with us, an actor or a director, who would you love to have a conversation with?
RIDLEY: Interesting. Maybe Audrey Hepburn. I feel it would be interesting to know, “What was it like for you, Audrey Hepburn?” Just generally.
Absolutely. Have you ever picked a project based on where it’s shooting?
RIDLEY: [Laughs] No. But when a nice location comes up, you think, “Oh, lovely!”
I read that you were a big Harry Potter fan when you were growing up. What house do you think you’d be put in?
RIDLEY: I was either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw.
There’s a huge Harry Potter series being made. They’re going to do, like, seven or eight seasons. Have you asked anyone to be a part of it?
RIDLEY: I haven’t asked to be a part of it because, honestly, those performances are so phenomenal that I feel it would be so terrifying to take on one of those roles.

3:07

Related

Harry Potter Reboot: How Will The HBO Show Differ From The Movies

Everything we know about the new upcoming reboot of the Harry Potter series on HBO

It’s also a huge commitment of time.
RIDLEY: Huge commitment of time. But really, I just love the films. I love the performances, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what they do with them because they will clearly be so different, though the pressure would be so high.
Do you have a strategy for social media or do you wing it each day?
RIDLEY: I wing it. My algorithm tends to be sweet videos of babies when the parents come home and they’re happy. I don’t know why. So yeah, it tends to be a winging it situation and watching sweet videos.
You’ve been in three Star Wars movies. How would you rank them?
RIDLEY: Sophie’s Choice.
Daisy Ridley Breaks Down Her Training Schedule for ‘Cleaner’

She underwent six weeks of physical training for the part.

Image via Quiver Distribution

I am fascinated by how actors like to get ready for the role, so hypothetically, let’s talk about Cleaner. So, say you’re filming Cleaner on September 1st. Yeah. What are you doing in the month leading up to filming in terms of what’s your 9–5, Monday through Friday? Are you in training? How are you looking at the script? How are you thinking about your performance so you are comfortable when you step on set that first day?
RIDLEY: For this, I had about six weeks of physical training. So, my 9–5, I would go and do a general workout, and then I would go and do fight training for three hours. It really depended on the day. Some gun training, some wire work, and that was pretty consistently four or five days a week for that time.
Is it like a 9–5, or is it like you’re going in at 10, and you’re done at two?
RIDLEY: It’s fairly short because you’d just be so physically burnt out before filming working at that intensity. So I would probably, realistically, be in the room doing stunt work for four hours on and off, and then I would often be speaking to Martin. I remember doing a chemistry read with Matthew [Tuck], who plays my brother. We’d be talking through stuff, talk to the writer, getting to grips with various bits and bobs, fittings. That was happening in the six weeks before filming, and then thinking a lot about how it might go.
How much are you looking at the script and thinking about dialogue? When are you starting to break that stuff down so it starts to become like muscle memory, or how much are you like, “What am I filming the first week?”
RIDLEY: With this, because for so much of it I was alone, and it was quite overwhelming to think about how many scenes I had alone and the different sort of headspaces I was in for each, I took it in more chunks of time of how we were filming it. Then, physically, I knew I’d be working up to stuff because I knew when the fights were going to be. So I obviously had read the script and studied and all that stuff, but then it was week by week. So, on Sunday, I’d be looking through everything that was coming the following day and then each night really preparing for the next day.
How much did Martin want to block shoot or film certain things in order, and how much was this like you filming the end first?
RIDLEY: He was wonderful in that we filmed chronologically, but we did obviously do things in certain sequences, like when I’m in the cradle. We would do those sequences in order when it was tilted in various sections of the film. We would always work chronologically, so we would never start with the last scene first, but sometimes we’d go to scene 10 to scene 30 to scene 100.
How Daisy Ridley Avoided Being Typecast After ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’

“I feel really genuinely blessed.”

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

What is stuff that you’ve learned as an actor over the last decade that you wish someone had told you earlier in your career about the industry or acting on sets of big movies?
RIDLEY: Interesting. I don’t know that I feel I know anything now that I didn’t know then. I feel like we all, as actors, have a responsibility to know our lines, know what we’re doing, and turn out prepared and ready to go and be nice to other people. We’re all just trying to be the best people on set, and I suppose we try and just be as present as possible. But again, I always knew that. Really, you just never know what’s going to happen. You don’t know how the scene is going to go. You could prepare and prepare and prepare for A, and then B would happen or C would happen. Maybe it’s being okay with things not going how you thought they might go.
You’re number one on the call sheet on this movie. What kind of added responsibility do you feel when you are the leader of a movie? I’m sure you’ve seen other people where you’ve watched them be number one on the call sheet, so what did you learn when you were watching them that you’re like, “I need to do this when I’m that person?”
RIDLEY: I think it’s probably the previous answer. The fact of it is, of course, we’re making films and we want the films to be excellent, but you also are spending so much time with the people on set and everyone is working so hard, so all one can do, in any sort of position, is set an example to everyone else that you would hope that other people would do, like being on time and learning your lines. Just generally making other people’s days not difficult.
What have the last few years been like for you? You’ve done such different roles from The Marsh King’s Daughter to Magpie, Young Woman and the Sea, Sometimes I Think About Dying, Cleaner, and you have We Bury the Dead coming out at SXSW. What’s it been like for you? Because a lot of times, certain actors are, I don’t want to say pigeonholed, but they’re doing the same thing again and again, and these are such different roles.
RIDLEY: I feel really genuinely blessed that I have not been pigeonholed. The way I feel about the work I’ve been doing is on the plane over here I watched Smile 2, then The Pelican Brief, and then Practical Magic. I love such different films for various different reasons. I love all different types of actors and directors. So, getting to do my version of that and getting to work with different people in different genres as different roles is so wonderful. For the last few years, this felt really great. Each project has had its challenges to overcome, whether it be emotional or physical, or stamina-wise for Young Woman and the Sea. “How am I going to do this? How am I going to do this day after day after day after day when I’m exhausted?” All of that has been a really wonderful learning process, and I get to work with really great people.

46:25

Related

The Reason Why Disney Does Not Allow Any AI Use Revealed By ‘Young Woman and the Sea’ Director Joachim Rønning [Exclusive]

The director dives into the deep on working with Daisy Ridley and Disney and reveals details on ‘Tron: Ares.’

For people who have not seen Young Woman and the Sea, it’s really worth your time. It’s streaming on Disney+. So, your character in Cleaner, if she were to fight Hans Gruber in Die Hard, what’s the result?
RIDLEY: I feel like eventually she’d win, but it would be a cat-and-mouse game, much like it is in Die Hard. He’s a wily fellow.
I think the Hans Gruber and Alan Rickman’s performance might be the best antagonists. He’s one of the best villains in movie history.
RIDLEY: But then, because I watched Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, as well, he’s an excellent baddie in that.
He’s amazing in that. It’s a completely different role but amazing.
RIDLEY: And then, lest we forget, Severus Snape.
Or Galaxy Quest. I could keep going.
RIDLEY: Honestly, rewatching him, he’s just got so much tangible…
The best story I’ve heard of him is that he would go out for dinner with people, and people would always be like, “Let me pay, let me pay.” And he’d be like, “I got it. Harry Potter.”
RIDLEY: Nice!
Martin Campbell’s ‘Cleaner’ Was More Than a “British Action Movie”

“He always has this beating heart at the center.”

So you are offered a lot of scripts. What was it about this one that said, “I want to do this?”
RIDLEY: Honestly, the first thing I saw was Martin Campbell, and I was like, “Legend.” Then I read it, and I found the story to be very propulsive. Of course, I would assume that the goodies would win, but I couldn’t figure out how it was going to come together. I really was excited to do a British action movie, and at the heart of it, I wanted to explore this relationship with Joey and her brother, which is so, I feel, relatable. I feel like their relationship is very understandable to a lot of people. She’s trying to do the best she can. They’ve had a really tricky time, and she messes up a lot, but she is trying to atone for that. I really think that’s what makes Martin’s film so special. Of course the action’s amazing and the spectacles, but he always has this beating heart at the center of his movies, always with a lot of joy and laughter, too, in sometimes very unexpected places.
I also appreciated that your character is not like Jason Bourne. You can be beaten.
RIDLEY: Oh, yeah. I was like, “If she’s being beaten the shit out of, she has to look like she’s been beaten to death.” And as time goes on, she’s so tired and so messed up, and it sort of adds that feeling of, “This poor woman. What a day.” But yeah, she can be beaten.
Towards the third act, you mentioned the makeup and the way your character looks; how tempting is it when you are made up like that, and you’re just beaten up, to just leave set and go to the supermarket and get people’s reaction to you?
RIDLEY: Well, it was funny because I remember when we were doing The Marsh King’s Daughter, there was a bit where I was quite bloodied, and I would send pictures to my friends. On this one I was sending pictures again, and everyone’s like, “Are you okay? Why are you always beaten up in the things you do?” The makeup in this was so phenomenal. It was one of those strange things where there would be moments where I would forget because, of course, it just feels like your face, and go to the bathroom and be like, “Oh my god!” Because of this insane black eye that she had built. It’s scary, though.
For me, I would be at the Starbucks immediately.
RIDLEY: It would mess people up.
Exactly. So Clive Owen is in the movie and you have, I think, zero scenes.
RIDLEY: Yep. Except when I’m next to his…
Yeah, exactly. Were you like, “Martin, can I have a scene with Clive?”
RIDLEY: Well, it’s funny because when they said he was in it, I was like, “Oh my god, amazing. Reunited!” And then we did not share a scene. But I did say hello to him, and it was very joyful. Watching Clive come on set, he has such presence and magnetism. I was there when he came on to do something, and I thought, “What a guy. What an actor.”

Image via Quiver Distribution

So I read that part of this was filmed in Malta.
RIDLEY: Yes.
Were you in Malta for this?
RIDLEY: Yeah. Honestly, it was a bit of a holiday and it was really nice. Everyone else was working. It was the very final moment when my face isn’t even on the camera. It was really nice.
Where was this in Malta?
RIDLEY: They actually did some of the interiors in Malta. They did inside the police HQ and then just that gorgeous trackback shot at the very end.
Tax rebates, everyone.
RIDLEY: Thanks, Malta! They were also shooting Gladiator II at the time, so Martin snuck over to the set to see what he could see. It was unreal. We drove down the road, and it’s funny, because then I was watching Gladiator II, and I was like, “Oh, we drove past that set!” Because you could obviously see everywhere they were filming.
In this, the antagonist makes a lot of really good points but just goes one step too far.
RIDLEY: Yeah, the terrifying thing about real baddies is they are so clear in their beliefs and their purpose. With the baddie in this, the root of what he’s saying is he wants the world to be better. He wants people to stop screwing things up, which of course, we can all relate to. But yes, the way he goes around it and then ultimately the end goal for him is so extreme, and he has no qualms with putting everyone around him in danger and himself, and that is really what’s terrifying.
I think the world is really at a tipping point with how angry people are. Let me stop. I’m just going to get myself in trouble. I’ll just say that I think he makes good points in the movie but goes too far.

Image via Quiver Distribution

What is it actually like filming the action scenes on set, especially because this isn’t a Marvel movie? You do not have 200 days to make this. Let’s talk about the sequence where you’re burning the woman’s face. Take us through filming that sequence and what it actually entails. Is that like a one-day, five days? What is that?
RIDLEY: So the fights together, the two fights I have, I’m going to say took six or seven days to film all of them. Also, in that time, you’re trying really hard not to get injured. My costumer on it, Katie [Jones], got one of those—we associate them with a grandma—things you can put in the microwave, and they smell like lavender, and you put around your neck. That honestly kept me going because in between fighting, I couldn’t cool down too much because, of course, you have to stay wound up. So shoutout to those Nana necklace things.
So, typically, it depended. The first fight I have with the woman, because it was such an enclosed space, we were really trying to figure out how we could capture that because even the camera being where we were, it was such a small area. It’s weird. It takes both longer and less time than you think it’s going to take. You feel like, “Oh, surely we can do this in one day?” And then, of course, there’s 100 other things to do. But I’m going to round it up to two weeks it took for all of the action.
Were you filming all the action in that two-week span? What is that like every night going home?
RIDLEY: Yeah. The one where I come through and have the wrench, I literally pulled my arm back so hard and in the slightly wrong direction that the whole set rattled, and I thought I broke my bone. Of course, you’re already tired because you’ve shot a whole movie. So, that was really about trying to limit how injured I was. But yeah, it was super intense. And the wire work all happened in that time.

Image via Quiver Distribution

Is there someone on set specifically telling you in these two weeks, “You should eat these things and we’re going to give you B12?” Or is it like, “You’re on your own, and you’ve got to get through this?”
RIDLEY: I actually took it upon myself to do a meal thing the whole shoot because I knew I needed to be supported in a particular way. So I was making sure I was doing that. I’m sure it would have been done otherwise, but it was something that I knew I really needed to maintain, particularly for that. Then, obviously, you just eat so much because you’re so tired and going so consistently.
You filmed a lot of this in London, and I found that London craft service is not the best. American craft service? Fantastic.
RIDLEY: We had really good craft and we had one amazing barista. Those coffees were so good. We actually got into the habit of at 3:30, we would all get a hot chocolate. It was really nice because of the sugar. But it was just so lovely because it becomes a sort of ritualized moment of togetherness. You knew where you were in the day because the thing about doing stunts is time becomes a vortex. You just don’t know where you are or how much you’ve done. So, it was a nice way to break up the day, that hot chocolate.
Towards the end of the film, you and your brother are talking about the Marvel movies, Kevin Feige, and the Russo Brothers. I obviously laughed about this. Do you have a favorite Marvel movie or a favorite Marvel character?
RIDLEY: Oh, interesting. Spider-Man from the Spider-Verse. Miles Morales.
Daisy Ridley Is Teaming Up With Martin Campbell Again

“The writing is super sharp.”

Image via Quiver Distribution

You recently signed on to do another movie with Martin Campbell. What can you tell people about it, and are you filming it this year?
RIDLEY: We should be. I play someone in the military. It’s an American military thing. I’m like, “Wow, does this sound just like Cleaner?” [Laughs] She has to save the day.
Listen, I’m totally down for that because I really believe that there are not enough female-led protagonists. Men get this movie with male stars a lot, and it’s just nice when it’s a woman kicking ass.
RIDLEY: Also, it’s interesting because I’m so specific about what I like script-wise. He’s so wonderful; he took me out to dinner, and he had a folder with the script in it. I was like, “This is amazing.” So because it was him and because I love him, I was thinking, “I’m going to do the script because it’s you.” But I love this thing. The writing is super sharp, the relationships are brilliant, and honestly, it’s totally different to this. It’s just a really fantastic script, and getting to work with him again is amazing.
What did you learn working with him on Cleaner that you’re like, “I need to do this when we film this next movie?”
RIDLEY: Interestingly, one of the things that he talks about a lot is musicality in lines, and it’s something I had never been cognizant of, but it was something that he’s very specific about, the musicality of lines. He’ll often listen to a take and not watch it, which has never happened before, just to feel the rhythm of the music with the language, which was quite lovely. What I love about him is his amazing action, of course, but he’s so specific about the character. The thing he loves to say is he’ll come in and he’ll go, “Communion.” I love that word now because, to me, it just means, “What are you doing with this? Are you close enough? Are you sharing enough?” He’ll come over and be so close to your face, running it, running it, before you shoot it, and then he will come in and do it again. It’s a wonderful way to work.
Daisy Ridley’s VR Game Tells the Story of Bertha Benz

“In the age of innovation, she’s a real, proper trailblazer.”

Image via Disney

You did this video game called Trailblazer, and it comes out next month. You produced, and you starred. What can you tell people about it?
RIDLEY: It’s the story of Bertha Benz, who was the first woman ever to do a road trip, basically. Her husband had invented an automobile, but he had crashed it, and it had all gone wrong. And for women, it was illegal for them to be out doing anything like that in those times, so she snuck off in the car and did the 60-mile journey. In the process, she figured out gearing on a car, she had to figure out the water system. There were various things she did along the way. In the age of innovation, she’s a real, proper trailblazer.
Have you played the finished version of the game?
RIDLEY: I haven’t, no. It looked beautiful, the images that I’ve seen.
Is it like a Steam game? Is it a console game?
RIDLEY: It’s VR.
I’m looking forward to it next month.
‘We Bury the Dead’ Is an Emotional “Zombie Movie”

“It’s beautiful.”

Image via Neon

We Bury the Dead premieres at SXSW. What do you want to tell people about it? What are you excited for people to see in it?
RIDLEY: I think it will be a very beautiful thing to see how people react to it because my mom and sister watched it separately, and my mom said, “Oh, it was so sad,” and my sister said, “Oh, it was so scary.” And I was like, “That’s great!” Because it’s a zombie movie, but at the heart of it is a woman trying to find her husband. She doesn’t know what she’s going to find. She doesn’t know if he’s alive or dead or somewhere in between. So, it’s beautiful.
The Women in the Castle, did this happen?
RIDLEY: No, that did not happen. I was desperate for something.
Daisy Ridley on Being Part of the Star Wars Universe

“It’s the most unbelievable thing when people are united in their love for something.”

Image via Lucasfilm

Do you have a favorite piece of Star Wars merch?
RIDLEY: I mean, my lightsaber. It’s so funny, too, I have it in sort of a random place. The other day, I was like, “Oh, my lightsaber!” They’re awesome. Yes, I actually have two.
What about the toys and stuff that have been made? Do you have any of that stuff?
RIDLEY: I had so much of it, and then I was like, “It’s really weird to just have loads of stuff with your own face on it.” So, that went out to various friends and family. I really have a BB-8 in my car that I just can’t part with.
What is actually your favorite part about being in the Star Wars Universe? Because I would imagine there are a lot of girls who see you in real life and must do the double take.
RIDLEY: It’s weird. I feel like the double take has been happening more recently. It’s interesting. It’s strange. It’s sort of waves. But the best thing about being a part of it is that I get to be part of it. It’s weird, someone was talking about the Celebration announcement, and honestly, nothing feels like that room. It’s the most unbelievable thing when people are united in their love for something—for anything—and it just so happens that I’m a part of the Star Wars world. It’s just so beautiful. Ultimately, it’s all about good versus evil, and people are overcoming. The feeling that we all have together is the best part.
I’m going to be in Tokyo for the Celebration.
RIDLEY: Oscar [Isaac]’s going, as well.
Any plans to go to Tokyo?
RIDLEY: I might be doing something then, production-wise. I was hoping to go, but I don’t know.
I read that you’re attached to Mind Fall, which sounds like a cool project. What can you tell people?
RIDLEY: That was one of those things that it was supposed to go, and then COVID and all that, but I’m still hopeful. I’m still hopeful. I’ve become very comfortable with things either taking 10 years to get made or getting made tomorrow.
It’s the beginning of 2025. What do you have lined up that you’re filming this year or doing that you can tell people?
RIDLEY: There’s something next month that is very exciting. Once I’m able to share it, it is literally a dream.
So you’re filming something?
RIDLEY: Yeah.
Are you training right now, or are you thinking about it?
RIDLEY: I’m thinking about it. Then there’s potentially something after that. There were so many potentials happening this year, if all of the potential things were happening, I would have literally not a moment to spare. But I hope that the other thing that’s potentially happening, I will know in the next couple of weeks.
I like the mystery.
RIDLEY: Also, I don’t want to jinx it. That’s the other thing.
Hopefully, you’ll also come up with another idea for a movie.
RIDLEY: Oh, I have. So, Tom [Bateman], who wrote Magpie, has written something else that we have been waiting for the green light on that might be greenlit. Then, actually, I had an idea that I’m working on with someone else that is very exciting, but also quite strange because it’s the first time I’ve done that with another writer.

25:34

Related

‘Magpie’s Daisy Ridley and More Share Fun Stories From the Making of Their Neo-Noir Thriller at SXSW

Tom Bateman, Shazad Latif, Matilda Lutz, director Sam Yates, and producer Kate Solomon also discuss the way men & women react differently to the film.

You’re cheating on your husband?
RIDLEY: Honestly. When I went to the meeting, he was like, “I can’t believe you’re doing this.” [Laughs] But we had talked about it, and honestly, he doesn’t have the bandwidth because he’s also writing something else that was his idea but that we will do together. I want to be in it. I was like, “Please show me the script.” He’s basically written out the whole thing without having written out the script, but it’s so fantastic. I can’t wait to read this script.
Cleaner is now playing in theaters.

Cleaner

Release Date

February 21, 2025

Director

Martin Campbell

Writers

Matthew Orton, Simon Uttley, Paul Andrew Williams