“Star Wars” actress Daisy Ridley said she believes that all the franchise’s films, even the old ones, contain political messaging.
The 32-year-old British star rose to fame while playing Rey in the Star Wars sequel trilogy films “The Force Awakens” (2015), “The Last Jedi” (2017), and “The Rise of Skywalker” (2019). Ridley is slated to appear in the latest sequel, currently called “New Jedi Order.”
Scriptwriter George Nolfi recently discussed the political aspects of the films, saying in an interview, “If you think about George Lucas, the six movies that he did, and the universe that he created, it’s actually very steeped in broad notions of politics. It’s not talking about today, per se, but there’s the Empire’s Nazism slash Roman Empire.”
Ridley spoke with Inverse recently, saying she agreed with Nolfi on that point. “I feel like [the Star Wars films] are all political. I feel like it’s the individual versus the big corporation or the big group, so I think they always have been,” the actress told the outlet.
She continued, “And ultimately I think the films are emotional in that it’s good and evil, which we all can relate to very specifically in our day-to-day lives. But yes, I do feel those conversations are woven within the story, and I’m very excited to see what George [Nolfi] does.”
“Star Wars” fans have been impatient with the delays, leadership changes, and lack of details about “New Jedi Order,” which Disney first announced in 2023. Their waiting has not yet paid off, as Ridley told Screen Rant she hasn’t seen a script yet and that it likely won’t be her next project to go into production.
The studio is likely being cautious, the outlet noted, after having two major box office disappointments with “Solo: A Star Wars Story” (2018) and poor critical reviews, plus mixed fan reviews of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (2019).
The next “Star Wars” release will be “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” slated to hit theaters in May 2026.
Ridley is currently promoting a new movie called “Cleaner,” in which she plays an ex-soldier turned window cleaner who helps rescue hostages from an extremist planning a mass murder.
