Daisy Ridley Reveals One Scene in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Left the Entire Crew “Shaken”

The Star Wars franchise has come to be known for its uncanny ability to draw emotion from its biggest fans. It turns out Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker had the same effect on those who made it. Star Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey, revealed that one scene left the crew visibly moved. “There was a scene that touched me a lot,” Ridley told Adoro Cinema. “It was our last day shooting in Jordan and the natural light was fading. And it was so exciting. It was just a short scene, we filmed very fast, but the crew was shaken in a way I had not seen before. And I thought, ‘My God, if this is people’s immediate reaction when the scene isn’t even ready, imagine what it will be like to see it in the movies, with the John Williams soundtrack and all that.’”

There is another scene revealed in the first trailer for the film that shocked fans. That’s the moment that Rey, clad in dark robes, opens up a double-bladed, red lightsaber. Ridley recalled the challenges in filming that scene. “That scene was filmed in England in November,” she said. “There were huge water cannons and it was really, really cold. Everybody literally soaked. It was hard, but it was also amazing because the scene caught the immediacy of the reaction.”

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker bring the Skywalker saga to its end. Director JJ Abrams, returning after directing Star Wars: The Force Awakens, has discussed in interviews the pressure inherent in that task. “Endings are the thing that scare me the most,” Abrams said. “This is about bringing this thing to a close in a way that is emotional and meaningful and also satisfying in terms of actually answering [as many] questions as possible. So if years from now, someone’s watching these movies, all nine of them, they’re watching a story that is as cohesive as possible.”

At the D3 Expo earlier this year, Abrams offered some additional details about what fans can expect from the new film. “The movie doesn’t pick up immediately after the last film,” he said. “Some time has passed. This movie is an adventure the group goes on together. One of the great things about getting to work on the movie is the dynamic between all of the characters. They’re amazing together, and it’s something I’m excited for you all to see.”

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, Keri Russell, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, and Carrie Fisher.

Are you excited about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker? Let us know how you feel about it in the comments. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens in theaters on December 20th.

Star Wars is also headed to the Disney+ streaming service. The series The Mandalorian will debut on Disney+’s launch day, November 12th. A show following Obi-Wan Kenobi is in the works, with Ewan MacGregor returning to the role. A series about Rogue One‘s Cassian Andor is also in development.