Star Wars actor Daisy Ridley once found herself sharing the spotlight with another female lead in newcomer Felicity Jones. After seeing Jones promote her heavily praised Star Wars film Rogue One, Ridley couldn’t help reflect on her own experience with the franchise.
Daisy Ridley once opened up about her possible jealousy towards Felicity Jones
Ridley was already well familiar with the Star Wars brand before Jones came into the picture. Initially, being cast in The Force Awakens could be a very overwhelming experience for Ridley to manage. It wasn’t only Ridley’s first Star Wars feature, it was her first time leading a major film.
“[The Force Awakens] was like the beginning of the whole thing, and it was terrifying and incredibly rewarding,” Ridley once said according to the Daily Mail. “I felt like I pushed myself beyond boundaries I thought I had. Now I feel more together and present. Now I look at things and think, how are people going to react to that?”
After adjusting to the fame and popularity of the Star Wars franchise, Ridley would welcome another actor to the franchise in Felicity Jones. Jones played Jyn Erso in the prequel film Rogue One. Ridley couldn’t help watch Jones talk about her successful spin-off in interviews and press tours. Hearing Jones share her experiences with Rogue One reminded Ridley of her own time in Force Awakens.
”It was weird, I’ve talked so much retrospectively about what was going on [in the lead-up to Force Awakens]. It was so odd to be reliving it. And she gets to go talk about this film that she’s part of in all these amazing places,” Ridley once told Yahoo (via Contact Music).
Ridley even wondered if she was becoming a bit envious of Jones at the time.
”I feel like ‘jealous’ is the wrong word, but I had such a good time in the run-up to the film, and it was all so exciting. Knowing that she’s experiencing that is so great. Plus the film’s meant to be amazing, so it’s a fantastic continuation of the Star Wars world,” Ridley said.
Why Daisy Ridley didn’t give Felicity Jones advice for ‘Star Wars’
It took a while before Jones and Ridley actually met each other. According to an interview Ridley did with MTV News, The Last Jedi star visited the Rogue One set and met Jones briefly. But it wasn’t until Jones was on a press tour for Rogue One that the pair decided to hang out. According to Jones, they spent quite a bit of time together.
“We talked for hours, and we just talked really quickly and really intensely to each other,” Jones said. “Obviously, it’s difficult because you can’t really talk to your friends or family about it because we’re keeping the story mysterious, so it was really nice to actually sit down with someone and be able to share the entire experience.”
However, Ridley admitted that she didn’t give Jones any advice during their time together. She felt there was no need to.
“I didn’t give her tips. She’s like a proper human being. She’s got everything nailed,” Ridley said.
The ‘Star Wars’ theory involving Daisy Ridley that Felicity Jones felt was the worst thing
Star Wars tends to generate a lot of interesting theories among its fanbase. Around the time Rogue One came out, speculation led to some wondering if Jones’ Jyn Erso was Rey’s mother. Ridley didn’t rule out the theory, although she asserted that it wasn’t very likely.
“I mean, I think historically it wouldn’t work, because she is … Darth Vader is there … so she would ultimately be my great-grandma; no, she would be my grandma,” Ridley once told Vulture. “I mean it could happen, especially in a galaxy far, far away.”
Meanwhile, Jones confided that it was a theory she didn’t like at all.
“It’s kind of the worst thing,” Jones said. “An actress over 30 never wants to think of herself as a mother.”
