Image: Star Wars: The Force Awakens / LucasFilm / Disney
She’s loved by fans around the world for her portrayal of Rey in the current Star Wars trilogy, but British actress Daisy Ridley confesses that nothing could have prepared her for the scale of fame she now has to deal with.
After flying from relative obscurity into major stardom following her role in 2015’s The Force Awakens, Daisy confesses that her life changed so much she had to seek professional help.
“Everything was so confusing,” she told Vogue magazine in an exclusive interview. “People were recognizing me—I still don’t know how to handle it.
“My skin got really bad because I was stressed. It was crippling. I just felt so seen and so self-conscious.”
While the vast majority of fans are respectful, Daisy has been pushed to the edge by some outlandish behaviour – including frightening invasions of her privacy. Two fans even knocked on her door and asked for autographs.
“I heard a knock on the door. These two guys went, ‘Hey, Daisy, can I get an autograph?’ and I literally went, ‘No f***n’ way.’ ”
The star confesses she calls her mother at least once a month “in hysterical tears, going, ‘I’m not equipped to deal with this!’ ”
She entered therapy in a bid to take control of her feelings, as she felt the pull to shrink away from the public and the free lifestyle she once enjoyed.
“I felt like I was sort of reducing myself because I was so worried that people would recognize me,” she told Vogue – but insists she is now refusing to lock herself away, saying, “I want to dance through life. I don’t want to scuttle.”
The next Star Wars film, The Last Jedi, opens in December.
