Daisy Ridley Says it Was Fun to Play Dark Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker revealed in its first trailer a scene that shocked fans. The scene shows Rey, clad in dark robes, opening up a double-bladed, red lightsaber. Ridley told Adoro Cinema that she enjoyed getting to play Rey’s Dark Side, though she wouldn’t reveal any details about how that comes to happen. “It’s fun to play someone’s best version, and then the worst,” Daisy Ridley told Adoro Cinema and other journalists in Los Angeles. “It’s an amazing thing to do as an actress, but we can’t do it often. … I felt very good. That’s the most I can say, unfortunately.”

Ridley also revealed that filming another scene in the film left the crew visibly moved. “There was a scene that touched me a lot,” Ridley said. “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.’”

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker brings 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. New episodes of The Mandalorian debut on Disney+ on Fridays. 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.