After the back-to-back successes of ‘The Force Awakens’ and ‘Rogue One,’ Lucasfilm was on cloud nine with its revival of ‘Star Wars.’ But then ‘The Last Jedi’ came along and ignited a fire that, almost two years later, is still felt amongst fans to this day. And according to the star of the latest ‘Star Wars’ trilogy, Daisy Ridley, she totally understands.
Speaking to USAToday, where she’s promoting her upcoming film “Ophelia,” Ridley was asked about the controversy surrounding filmmaker Rian Johnson’s film ‘The Last Jedi.’ Forever the diplomat, the young actress says she wasn’t surprised by the polarizing nature of the film, and feels that everyone is allowed their own opinion.
“I wasn’t surprised, no,” said Ridley. “It’s just a different thing. Everyone’s going to have an opinion now anyway on the internet, but I also think it’s fair.”
She continued, “If people hold something incredibly dear and think they know how it should be and it’s not like that, it’s fair for people to think they were done wrong. It doesn’t mean they were – ultimately, Rian’s a filmmaker and one person can’t dictate how a film is supposed to be – but freedom of expression, sure.”
While she comments on the content of the film, in regards to the controversial plot and treatment of characters, particularly Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker, Ridley sadly doesn’t mention the vile, sexist, and bigoted comments that sprung up after ‘The Last Jedi’ was released. The actress herself had to leave social media when toxic fans lobbed disgusting comments her way after ‘The Force Awakens,’ but even then, that pales in comparison to the vitriol that surrounded ‘The Last Jedi.’
Kelly Marie Tran was the subject of terrible tweets and comments from “fans” that were upset by the direction of the series and ended up taking out their frustration in racist and sexist ways against the young actress. Then you have some fans who claim that ‘Star Wars’ is being directed by some sort of “SJW agenda.” And there’s just the overall combative discourse that comes about anytime someone mentions Johnson’s ‘Star Wars’ film, leading to insults being thrown around in every direction. Needless to say, being a “Star Wars” fan online isn’t what it used to be.
It’s clear that Disney and Lucasfilm are hoping that ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ settles these arguments once and for all. The last thing the studio and production company need is one of their cash cow franchises surrounded by toxicity.
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” arrives on December 20.