‘Star Wars’ Alum Daisy Ridley Says She’s ‘Actually An Introvert’

Actress Daisy Ridley has left a galaxy far, far away and hopped into the indie scene for her new movie, “Sometimes I Think About Dying.”

Helmed by Rachel Lambert, the romantic drama premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and saw Ridley’s character Fran start opposite Dave Merheje’s character Robert.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 30-year-old actress was asked how well she relates to her character, Fran.

“I could relate in that I occasionally think, ‘I’m alright in this world,’ but then, I occasionally think, ‘I don’t belong. I don’t know what I’m doing.’ I’m not great at social situations,” Ridley explained. “I will ruminate over something I’ve said that probably came out the wrong way and I didn’t mean. I will lie in bed for hours thinking, ‘Oh my God, I didn’t mean it like that.’ I’m actually an introvert. I find it quite hard to be around people unless I’m very comfortable. So I relate in all those general social ways.”

In terms of loneliness, Ridley described herself as “the sort of person who’s good alone, but I never am.” She said that she “worked hard” to be around a lot of people at Sundance Film Festival. “So I don’t know that I’m great at being alone, but I do feel the pull,” she said. “As we all know, loneliness can be quite unhealthy, so I try to be around people, even if I’m not really feeling it, because I know it’ll give me a little boost.”

Ridley was a relative unknown when she was cast in 2015’s “The Force Awakens.” Her role as Rey made her a household name and she continued to star in the Lucasfilm franchise for 2017’s “The Last Jedi” and 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker,” which wrapped up the nine-episode Skywalker Saga. To date, no Star Wars film has been released in theaters since, although the franchise is keeping busy with plenty of Disney+ TV shows.

When asked about going from a global franchise to small-scale production, Ridley noted that there was “a difference in visibility” between the two. “In general, the goal of any film — whether it’s made for $100,000 or $300 million — is to ultimately share something that speaks to people and tells a resonant story,” she explained.

“So it obviously felt different because it’s sort of a smaller screening and what have you, but it’s still the same feeling of being proud of a piece of work and getting to share it. So hearing people’s responses has been lovely,” she added, calling the screening of “Sometimes I Think About Dying” at the Sundance Film Festival “a really lovely reception to this quite touching story.”

Some of Fran’s weird quirks put her at odds with Ridley herself. Although Fran’s food of choice is cottage cheese, Ridley explains that she doesn’t eat cottage cheese because she’s vegan. Fortunately, she explained that the film’s art team made something to look like cottage cheese, which she revealed “was actually super tasty.”

She also revealed that writing left-handed has made her ambidextrous. When asked about how it interfered with her lightsaber choreography during her time on Star Wars, Ridley admitted that it didn’t.

“Well, most left-handed people are fairly ambidextrous. So I just started with the old sword in my right hand, and it was never too much of an issue,” she explained. “But funnily enough, I had to approve a clip for something I’m doing, and it was from Murder on the Orient Express.”

“Of course, in those days, you would not have been allowed to write left-handed,” she continued. “My great-aunt was taught to write with her right hand; her left hand was tied behind her back. So, I had to put in a line left-handed, and I was like, ‘I cannot write right-handed.’ But as far as the choreography, there were no issues.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Daisy Ridley talked about what she heard about Lucasfilm’s “plans” for Rey in a galaxy far, far away. Fans can check out the rest of that interview and see what she had to say about her Star Wars future by clicking here!