“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” star Daisy Ridley says the backlash over the prominence of her character Rey didn’t come as a surprise, she tells USA Today.
The film, and in particular the focus on a female-driven storyline and characters, garnered complaints and death threats from mostly male trolls online. “Everyone’s going to have an opinion now anyway on the internet, but I also think it’s fair. If people hold something incredibly dear and think they know how it should be and it’s not like that, it’s fair for people to think they were done wrong.”
However, Ridley adds that though fans are entitled to their opinion, it doesn’t necessarily mean their opinion is correct.
“Ultimately, Rian’s a filmmaker and one person can’t dictate how a film is supposed to be — but freedom of expression, sure,” she adds.
The 27-year-old is also looking ahead to the final chapter in the Skywalker saga with this December’s release of “Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker”, teasing a few hints about what fans can expect, especially when it comes to Rey’s parentage.
Rey’s lineage was a bit of a mystery until Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) described her parents as “filthy junk traders who sold you off for drinking money” in “The Last Jedi”. It had been speculated that her parents were people of importance in the “Star Wars” universe.
Now, Ridley is echoing director J.J. Abrams, who teased “Good Morning America” back in April, “I will say there is more to the story [of Rey’s parentage] than you’ve seen.” While speaking with USA Today, Ridley says that “at the end of the film, you do know what the dealio is” regarding Rey’s parents.
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“Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker” opens in theatres on December 16.
