Girl Of The Moment: Daisy Ridley

Daisy Ridley. Photo: Getty Images

Daisy Ridley has a great smile. Honestly – she’s got a grin that rates somewhere around Julia Roberts on the wattage scale. It is only fitting because this 23-year-old from West London has a lot to smile about.

The actress was plucked from obscurity to play the lead role – Rey, an enigmatic, and, in Ridley’s words, “kick-arse” scavenger – in the latest installment of the Star Wars juggernaut. As the only unknown in the cast, Ridley more than holds her own among her seasoned co-stars (think Lupita Nyong’o, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver and, yes, Harrison Ford).

Ridley confesses she was never a “huge” fan of the original trilogy, but felt compelled to audition in 2013. “It was a very weird feeling,” she recalls. “Something was definitely pushing me forward.” Landing the lead role has been a steep learning curve for her. With only a few small television roles to her name, Ridley learnt the Hollywood ropes on set in Abu Dhabi, Iceland and London, picked up some martial arts skills – “There’s one very cool fight,” she teases – and shot scenes with icons like Ford and Carrie Fisher.

Next year, Ridley will be back on set in London for Episode VIII, so now is the calm before the storm. “I would not wish I was anywhere else right now than waiting for the film to come out, like everyone else.”