Daisy Ridley Loves the Freedom of Exploring Different Genres Without Being Pigeonholed [Exclusive]

Typecasting isn’t a rarity in Hollywood, even among genuinely great actors, yet there are still plenty of individuals who manage to break the mold and defy expectations with each role they take. Among those actors who have escaped being pigeonholed, however, Daisy Ridley is becoming a standout. Initially bursting onto the scene as Rey in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, she’s spread her wings and flown to all manner of genres from murder-mysteries with Murder on the Orient Express to the romantic Shakespearian re-imagining Ophelia, the psychological thriller The Marsh King’s Daughter, and beyond. For her latest outing, Cleaner, she plays a John McClane-like action hero under the direction of GoldenEye and Casino Royale‘s Martin Campbell, and it’s another film that has her thankful she has the freedom to explore in her career.

At a Q&A for the new action thriller attended by Collider’s Leah Marilla Thomas, Ridley spoke to Collider Editor-in-Chief Steve Weintraub about the new project while also reflecting on everything she’s done leading up to this point. He specifically asked the actress about her hectic past few years in which she’s taken her genre-hopping to new heights between the aforementioned Marsh King and Cleaner, as well as the Disney+ inspirational biographical drama Young Woman and the Sea, the neo-noir Magpie, and the melancholic Sometimes I Think About Dying, as well as a foray into video games with the time-bending Twelve Minutes opposite James McAvoy. That’s all without counting her upcoming SXSW debut, We Bury the Dead, a survival-horror flick that pits her against the undead as a member of a body retrieval unit searching for her husband. Regarding all the variety, she answered “I feel really genuinely blessed that I have not been pigeonholed.”

Ridley’s wide range as a performer is also reflective of how she consumes and appreciates cinema in general. The modern Star Wars trilogy star’s tastes are varied, which means she’s game to tackle projects from across all genres. Perhaps the most satisfying part of it all, however, is facing completely new challenges with each different project and learning how or training herself to overcome them. She described her thought process, adding:

“And it’s weird that the way I feel about the work I’ve been doing is, on the plane over here, I watched Smile 2, then The Pelican Brief, and then Practical Magic. Like, I love such different films, for various different reasons. I love all the different sorts of actors and directors. So, getting to do my version of that and getting to work with different people in different genres, as different roles is so wonderful. That the last few years have felt really great, really great, and feels so like each project has had its challenges to overcome, whether it be emotional or physical or, stamina wise for Young Woman and the Sea, ‘How am I going to do this? How am I going to do this day after day after day,’ when I’m exhausted. And so, all of that has been a really wonderful, learning process, and I get to work with really great people.”

What Can We Expect Next From Ridley’s Career?

A good mantra for Ridley at this juncture is to expect the unexpected given her track record of projects, but there are a few things to look forward to starting with Cleaner in theaters on February 21. She plays highly-trained ex-soldier Joey Locke, who has taken up window-cleaning duties since her dishonorable discharge from the military. When activists swarm an energy company’s annual gala and radical members begin taking hostages, she leaves her post and jumps back into action to de-escalate the situation, prevent the group from blowing the building sky-high, and save her brother who’s among the people trapped in the deadly situation. As mentioned above, We Bury the Dead will also appear at SXSW next month and brings a devastating emotional twist to the typical survival horror formula, to the point that Ridley calls her character “Sad Sad Ava.”

Her future also holds a new VR project titled Trailblazer directed by Emmy-winner Eloise Singer, arriving on March 7. However, most eyes are laser-focused on her return to Star Wars as Rey. The New Jedi Order movie may have shuffled through writers and seems to have had major difficulties taking flight, but she’s recently assured that everything is coming together in what she believes is the best possible way, and she’s been deeply involved throughout the story’s creation. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has been tapped to direct the hotly-anticipated project while George Nolfi will pen the script.

While we wait to see what’s next for Ridley’s career, you can visit the link below to find showtimes for Cleaner in a theater near you. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on her other upcoming projects as they come out.

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