Daisy Ridley plays the main character in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” but she is hesitant to compare her character, the desert scavenger Rey, to Luke Skywalker, the farmboy who grew to embrace his mystical legacy and helped liberate the galaxy.
The main protagonist and the nature of her journey aren’t the only things that are different in the “Star Wars” universe. The stakes have changed in the three-plus decades since the events of “Return of the Jedi,” when Luke atoned with his father, Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker, and the heroes destroyed the villains’ second planet-destroying Death Star.
In “The Force Awakens,” what used to be the Rebel Alliance is now a governing force in the galaxy, while the remains of the evil Galactic Empire have coalesced into an entity known as the First Order. That means there are new stories to tell — “The Force Awakens” is the first installment of the third “Star Wars” trilogy — and new stars to embrace, such as Ridley and fellow 23-year-old lead John Boyega (“Attack the Block”).
Boyega plays Finn, who quits being a First Order Stormtrooper and decides to seek a more peaceful life. However, he gets caught up in an adventure with Rey and the new droid — and rolypoly holiday gift sensation — BB-8. Boyega compares Finn to Han Solo, the rogue smuggler played by Harrison Ford, who started out as a pilot-for-hire, but eventually became a general in the Rebel Alliance.
“Finn is us. He doesn’t have his path handed to him. He doesn’t have his destiny spoken of in a distant prophecy,” Boyega said. “He is the everyman, and it’s like, who would everybody really be in a ‘Star Wars’ movie? People who say Luke Skywalker, they’re lying.”
Finn is like Luke in one way, however: He brandishes a blue lightsaber in “The Force Awakens,” as seen in ads and trailers for the movie, but he does it without a Jedi’s finely honed grace. The character is motivated by fear and a will to survive more than anything, according to Boyega. Still, the actor said, he did lightsaber training for four weeks with Adam Driver (“Girls”), another series newcomer, who plays villain Kylo Ren.
For Ridley, a newcomer to the movie business, making “The Force Awakens” was a different kind of training exercise. She didn’t have a process heading into the production and rolled with everything while paying close attention to Ford and picking up wisdom from the veteran star. “That is an example of how I would love to be,” Ridley said of Ford’s work on set and how he’d talk things over with director J.J. Abrams. By the end of filming, Ridley said, she felt more in control of her knowledge of Rey, and she hopes that progress will continue in filming Episode VIII, the as-yet-untitled next installment of the main “Star Wars” saga. (“Rogue One,” a spinoff film set in the time period before the events of the original “Star Wars” movie, will hit theaters December 2016, five months before Episode VIII.)
As time goes on, the spotlight will only grow brighter for the new stars of the franchise, especially with parent company the Walt Disney Co.‘s knack for getting maximum exposure for its properties, from Disney Princesses to Pixar to the comic-book empire of Marvel Studios. Longtime series star Carrie Fisher has warned that “Star Wars” stardom can be a mixed blessing, though. The franchise’s fans are largely loyal and sweet-natured, the actress and writer has said, but they can also be a bit extreme. In the face of all the new attention she’s receiving, Ridley is still trying to be her same old self, even with the increased attention. “I still go to sleep, and wake up, and eat breakfast,” she said. “It’s just that people care about this thing I’m in a great deal.”
Ridley and Boyega have the benefit of learning from Fisher, Ford and Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, who have plenty of experience handling “Star Wars” fame and are returning for the new movie. The young stars could also look to the example of another new face in the franchise, though. Gwendoline Christie, who plays the First Order officer Captain Phasma, is used to hearing from the passionate fans of hit HBO series “Game of Thrones,” in which she plays the gallant warrior Brienne of Tarth.
“‘Star Wars’ fans are equally passionate, but they’ve had to wait a lot longer,” she said, noting that “Game of Thrones” fans have been able to look forward to a new season six years running. The last “Star Wars” film came out 10 years ago, and many fans would argue that the last good “Star Wars” film was released in 1983.
Christie is a full-fledged franchise veteran at this point in her career. She also recently appeared in “Mockingjay — Part 2,” the fourth and final “Hunger Games” movie, so she is now at the center of three huge fan bases. “In recent years, my job hasn’t felt like a job at all,” she said.
Neither Ridley nor Boyega said they are concerned about being identified mainly with Rey and Finn for the rest of their careers. Both would rather focus on their new opportunities while savoring the “Star Wars” phenomenon.
“I don’t borrow too much from tomorrow; it doesn’t exist yet,” Boyega said. “I’m in the movie now, and it’s all about having this moment. To be a big part of it is an absolute blessing.”