“There Weren’t That Many Offers Coming In” After Rise Of Skywalker, Admits Daisy Ridley

In a recent interview, Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley explained that after her appearance as Rey Skywalker in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, she wasn’t getting many job offers. The Star Wars sequel trilogy is considered controversial, in part because many viewers were highly critical of the direction the movies took with new characters like Rey and fan-favorite mainstays like Luke Skywalker. Now, Ridley is entering a brand-new era of Star Wars in Rey’s upcoming Star Wars movie, and her career outside the franchises has grown considerably, but it seems the actress had a few roadblocks at first.

Speaking at the SXSW event in Austin (per Variety), Ridley admitted the job offers weren’t exactly rolling in after the Star Wars sequel trilogy. The actress explained:

“There weren’t that many offers coming in. It’s not that there wasn’t any… I remember finishing and thinking, ‘Oh, it’s quiet and strange.’”

While many will try to put this down to the popular and critical reaction to the Star Wars sequel trilogy, other factors impacted this period in Daisy Ridley’s career too, many of them outside her control.

Ridley’s Career Wasn’t Only Hit By Rise Of Skywalker

Daisy Ridley’s problems occurred in 2020, during which most projects slowed or were paused because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s unsurprising, given the timeline, that Ridley wouldn’t have had anyone knocking down her door with a job offer for reasons entirely unrelated to the reception of The Rise of Skywalker or her performance throughout the Star Wars sequels. While there is a complex, at times disappointing history of audiences’ poor responses to Star Wars movies negatively affecting actors’ experiences, it’s not a direct cause and effect in this case.

In fact, there’s plenty to love about Daisy Ridley’s portrayal of Rey throughout the sequel movies, which is no doubt a major reason she will be returning to the franchise in Rey’s New Jedi Order movie. Ridley brought a witty sense of humor, strength, and earnestness to the character that carried through all three Star Wars sequel movies. While there were issues with The Rise of Skywalker, they had nothing to do with Ridley’s performance.

Ridley herself has also said previously that this period was a nice opportunity to decompress after such a massive introduction to the film industry in her first leading role. This only means better things for Rey’s upcoming movie, though, as Ridley will now be reprising her role as a much more seasoned actor. While Daisy Ridley’s job offers may have taken a brief pause following Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, that ‘quiet’ certainly didn’t stay, which is great news for Rey’s Star Wars future.