Daisy Ridley found herself suddenly thrust into the Hollywood spotlight after she was cast as the central figure of Rey in the recent Star Wars movies. Post those films, Ridley joined Tom Holland on the sets of Doug Liman’s sci-fi adventure movie Chaos Walking as the female lead. In an interview with British magazine Tatler, Ridley discussed the doubts about herself that she struggled with after being labeled “aggressive” on set.
“I’ve been told that I’m intimidating. That was on Chaos Walking. I was having my hair done, having my wig put on. I remember thinking, ‘God, should I be smaller? Should I be quieter?’ I’ve been called aggressive, too. My energy is ‘quite aggressive.’ That was during a meeting with a director. I was thinking: ‘But why? Is it because I maintained eye contact? Is it because I’m passionate about what we’re talking about?’ I dunno. You have that horrible sinking feeling of, ‘God, do I not come across the way I think I do?'”
The actress is no stranger to a negative public perception of her professional persona. While she was still attached to the Star Wars franchise, Daisy Ridley came under fire after she told The Guardian that she did not believe her upbringing in one of Britain’s most affluent neighborhoods, with family members who were already connected to the film industry, gave her a privileged position to navigate her career as an actress.
Coming at a time when Hollywood is having a reckoning of sorts when it comes to the issue of the privilege of certain sections of actors over others in terms of opportunity, the actress’ remarks were not well received. According to Ridley, her experience with Star Wars taught her the importance of keeping her personal life separate from her profession.
“When I signed on to Star Wars, there was nothing in my contract that said: ‘Your life will be talked about. It got to the point where I realized so much of my life was out there. People knew my mum’s name, my dad’s name, what my sisters do for a living. And I thought it would be nice to have something that’s for me, that isn’t for everybody else. I just thought I would keep that separate.”
Based on the book trilogy of the same name, Chaos Walking takes place in the near future, where Todd Hewitt, played by Tom Holland, comes into contact with Viola, played by Ridley, a mysterious female who crash lands on the planet. Society has evolved to a point where all the women have disappeared and the men are afflicted by “the Noise” – a force that puts all their thoughts on display. Viola’s arrival triggers a series of dangerous events, and Todd is forced to become her protector, as the duo embarks on a quest to uncover their planet’s darkest secrets.
Directed by Doug Liman, Chaos Walking stars Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley, Mads Mikkelsen, Demi&án Bichir, Cynthia Erivo, Nick Jonas, Kurt Sutter, and David Oyelowo. The film arrives in theaters in 2021. This news was first reported at Yahoo.