Making a movie doesn't seem so hard, at least from the outside it doesn't. On the inside is a completely different story, especially when you're a relatively new actor taking on a role in a hotly anticipated follow up. Daisy Ridley knows this first hand, as she had to overcome her fear of being in her first movie to cope with making Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
During an interview to promote People's special Star Wars issue, Ridley admitted that her newfound vocation as a feature film actor was something that scared her immensely.
However, she admitted to the magazine that while it was her first major motion picture ever, her biggest hurdle was herself, more specifically this following aspect:
"I had to get over the overwhelming fear of it. That was the hardest thing."
To overcome a phobia, any phobia, a person usually immerses themselves in that fear with gradual degrees of exposure. Not Daisy Ridley though, as she dove head first into her own nightmare and beat away any feelings of doubt. Interestingly enough, Ridley's massive case of the nerves explains how her early days on theStar Wars: The Force Awakens lead to J.J. Abrams labeling her first performances as "wooden." To be honest, anyone under that sort of pressure would probably end up reading a line or six a little wonky.
Knowing that Ridley had to overcome a massive amount of self doubt to become one of the newest additions to the Star Wars canon is rather endearing, at least to us it is. It's easy to play pretend in your backyard, but the moment you get to do it for real – and in front of a cast and crew of experienced folks – it becomes a brand new ballgame. Of course, the expectations of the franchise were resting on her shoulders, along with her own personal aspirations, as Star Wars: The Force Awakens marks the first time the legendary series has been taken out of mothballs since 2005's Revenge Of The Sith. Thinking about all of this pressure kind of has us nervous, and we haven't even seen the film yet.
While most of Daisy Ridley's cast members will probably not admit it, the level of experience you have in your acting career doesn't matter when being faced with such a massive undertaking as a Star Wars movie. Even during the Prequels, actors like Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson, and Natalie Portman were a bit overcome with the weight of expectations and the fact that they were playing in that galaxy far, far away. So when you think about it, Ridley's anxiety was really just par for the course, which makes her sound like even more of a natural at this Star Wars thing.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in theaters on December 18th, but you probably already knew that.
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