Summary

Daisy Ridley says Cleaner feels like her “first action movie.” Ridley’s breakout role came in 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens. Ridley has several other projects in the works: Sometimes I Think About Dying and Magpie. She will also be returning as Rey Skywalker in a new Star Wars film.

Learning the ways of the Force represents only a fraction of actress Daisy Ridley’s potential. True, the 31-year-old is best known for portraying Rey Skywalker in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but she’s accumulated an impressive resume outside of that galaxy far, far away. In an exclusive interview with MovieWeb, the thespian discussed the upcoming projects she’s most excited about working on, which includes teaming up again with her Ophelia (2018) co-star Clive Owen in Cleaner. Ridley said:

“I don’t know. I made Magpie from the ground up. So that was like a totally different experience. It was my idea. I produced it, I star in it, all of that stuff. But it’s interesting, because right now I’m doing what feels like — and it’s not because I haven’t done action in other films — but [Cleaner] feels to me like the first action movie I’ve done.
And it’s really hard work, but it’s really fun because I f—ing love action movies. I love John Wick. I love car chases. I love fights. I love all of that. So, we’re starting a big fight sequence tomorrow that I’m very excited about. In terms of [choosing between] the films, no, it’s like Sophie’s Choice, I couldn’t choose which one’s cooler.”

Related Best Daisy Ridley Movies, Ranked Daisy Ridley has made a name for herself beyond her role as Rey in Star Wars. Here are her best movies, ranked.

Daisy Ridley’s Hollywood Resume
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In 2015, Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley burst onto the scene out of virtual obscurity. The young artist was selected to portray the lead character of Rey in J.J. Abrams’ highly anticipated Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens. Since then, Ridley has amassed a rather extensive resume, which includes providing her voice for the English dub (2016) of director Isao Takahata’s animated classic, Only Yesterday (1991). Ridley also reprised the role of Rey in both Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi and Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker.

Some of Ridley’s other memorable performances throughout her rather brief stint in Hollywood include portraying Mary Debenham in director Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of author Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express and playing the titular character in the aforementioned Ophelia. Ridley also voiced the character of Cotton-Tail in 2018’s Peter Rabbit.

Most recently, Ridley starred in The Marsh King’s Daughter with Ben Mendelsohn and Garrett Hedlund. In an interview with MovieWeb, Ridley compares working on the project as an “exciting adventure,” particularly when it came to sharing the screen with an actor of Mendelsohn’s talent and caliber. Ridley said:

So, all of it felt like quite a scary thing, but like a very exciting adventure. And particularly working with Ben Mendelsohn — I mean, working with everyone was fantastic — but Ben is just so wonderful to work with, both as a man and an actor.

In addition to reteaming with Clive Owen in Cleaner, Ridley has a number of other projects in the works. Director Rachel Lambert’s Sometimes I Think About Dying is scheduled to come out on January 26, 2024, while other films, including Young Woman and the Sea & Magpie are both in post-production. And, of course, Ridley will return as Rey Skywalker in a brand-new Star Wars film, which is rumored to be called A New Beginning.