Daisy Ridley breaks silence on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker backlash: "It’s been tricky"

Daisy Ridley in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
(Image credit: Lucasfilm)

Daisy Ridley has spoken out about the reaction to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, asking: "Where’s the love gone?" The actress, who plays the sequel trilogy's lead protagonist Rey, spoke about the backlash to Episode 9 on DragCast podcast (via Entertainment Weekly).

"It’s changed film by film honestly, like 98% it’s so amazing, this last film it was really tricky," Ridley said of her Star Wars journey. "January was not that nice. It was weird, I felt like all of this love that we’d sort of been shown the first time around, I was like, 'Where’s the love gone?'"

Ridley detailed how the making of the moving was "so filled with love" which made the mixed reaction to The Rise of Skywalker all the more confounding. "I think it’s that tricky thing of when you’re part of something that is so filled with love and then people [don’t like it]," she said. "You know, everyone’s entitled to not like something, but it feels like it’s changed slightly. But I think in general that’s because social media and what have you."

She also touched on how social media has made conversations more public, and that she would never put her opinion of a movie online. "But honestly," she continued, "trying to scroll through my newsfeed in January and trying to not see Star Wars stuff, I’d see headlines and be like 'Oh my god this is so upsetting.' 

"So it’s been tricky, but then it’s having that thing of I feel really proud of it, and I’m so thrilled to be part of it."

Other Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker actors to recently speak about the movie include Domhnall Gleeson, who discussed his mixed feelings about General Hux's fate. For more on Star Wars, check out our pieces on:

Jack Shepherd
Freelance Journalist

Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.