Daisy Ridley exploded onto the pop culture stage in 2015 as Rey in the main protagonist of the Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy. Although she will likely always be remembered for her role as the promising young Jedi who saves the galaxy from her evil grandfather, she has gone on to piece together an interesting and varied career that is already worth celebrating. Like other successful actors who hit it big out of the gate with massive franchises, such as Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) Kristen Stewart, and Robert Pattinson (Twilight), Ridley is now in a position where she can focus on smaller, more creatively interesting movies rather than focusing on big, blockbuster hits. Whether it’s as a murder suspect in Murder on the Orient Express, Ophelia in a reimagining of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, or just lending her voice to an anthropomorphic rabbit, Ridley has demonstrated an impressive range that is only going to continue to grow as her young career continues to evolve.
The future already looks bright for Ridley thanks to upcoming projects like Young Woman and the Sea where she will play Gertrude Erdele, the first woman to swim across the English Channel, and, per Comicbook.com, rumors that she may appear as Spider-Woman in a new Sony film. That makes it a perfect time to take a look at what she’s accomplished so far. We will be discussing and ranking the very best feature films Ridley has lent her talent to. Chances are you’re pretty familiar with most of these, but one or two may surprise you and definitely deserve your attention.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
7 Peter Rabbit
Columbia Pictures
First published at the turn of the 20th Century, Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit books have been a staple in the libraries of young children all over the world for generations. Although the stories had inspired a few adaptations over the years, it wasn’t until 2018 that we got to see a feature-length cinematic outing for the anthropomorphic rabbit. The simple plot of Peter Rabbit about a conniving rabbit making life miserable for the nephew of a recently deceased farmer (who liked killing rabbits) may not be the stuff masterpieces are made of, but the strength of its cast (including Ridley as Cottontail Rabbit) and the enthusiasm with which the story is told were charming enough to produce a (far superior) sequel.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
6 Ophelia
Covert Media
Even if you’ve never read William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, you definitely know the story because you have probably seen Disney’s The Lion King. While not a carbon copy of the bard’s work, its premise about the son of a king seeking revenge on his uncle following the murder of his father was lifted directly from the centuries-old play. What you may be all that familiar with, though, is Hamlet’s potential love interest, Ophelia. The young woman could have been the prince’s bride had his dark ambition not led to her death. In the 2018 film Ophelia, starring Ridley in the eponymous role, there’s a new spin on the classic tale as it is told from the doomed noblewoman’s perspective. With a stellar cast (including Clive Owen and Naomi Watts), it is a lavish and fascinating look at one of the greatest plays ever written.
5 Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The chances that any filmgoer will refer to Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker are pretty slim. This conclusion to the Skywalker saga is too massive and unwieldy for its own good. Scenes often begin and end with characters running somewhere while delivering exposition with zero regard for how the audience feels about it. The plot (and several subplots) just keeps barreling forward until the loud, flashy ending that only kind of makes sense. That being said, the closing chapter of the Star Wars sequel trilogy features some of the most striking imagery the entire franchise has to offer, a delightfully campy performance from Ian McDiarmid, and some of Ridley’s most powerful acting to date.
4 Murder on the Orient Express
20th Century Studios
Just a few years after David Suchet’s legendary run playing Agatha Christie’s most popular creation, Hercule Poirot, actor and director Kenneth Branagh tried his hand at the Belgian detective’s best-known case: Murder on the Orient Express. Branagh’s takes a cue from the classic 1974 film starring Albert Finney by populating the screen with recognizable names like Michelle Pfeiffer, Dame Judi Dench, and Ridley, while also deviating in terms of tone and characterization. There is an overall sweeping scope that befits Branagh’s adaptation, making the story both grand and intimate. The adventurous tone fits his man of action Poirot very well and makes for a much more entertaining watch than the sequel Death on the Nile.
3 Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
Lucasfilm / Disney
Audiences across the world assumed that the Star Wars saga came to an end in 2005 with the release of Revenge of the Sith. However, when Disney bought Lucasfilm, there was the promise of more movies, and ten years after the prequels came to a close, we were taken back to a galaxy far, far away in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. Longtime fans were able to feed their nostalgia craving with the film’s aesthetics and the use of legacy characters like Han Solo and Leia Organa, but the plot was a little too reminiscent of the original Star Wars for it to truly stand out on its own. What does stand out, however, is the power of Ridley’s performance as Rey. This was her introduction to the world, and she made an excellent first impression.
2 Only Yesterday
Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibli is probably best known to American audiences for the gorgeous and imaginative films of animator Hayao Miyazaki like Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle, but they’re also capable of producing work from other filmmakers that are firmly grounded in reality, while still being transportive works of art. Only Yesterday from director Isao Takahata is one of those films. Originally released in 1991, it didn’t see distribution in North America until 2016 with Ridley providing the English dub for the main character Taeko as an adult. It is a slice of life story of a woman reflecting on her childhood while traveling to the country. Melancholic and achingly honest, this is an under-seen masterpiece that needs more attention.
1 Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
Lucasfilm
Perhaps the most divisive installment in the franchise, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi tries to do what no other film in the series dared: take the world in a new creative direction. While The Force Awakens was content to make audiences safe and secure by reminding them of all the reasons they love Star Wars to begin with, The Last Jedi challenged that security by questioning the nature of the force and the Jedi’s greater role in the galaxy. Choosing to focus on the failures of our heroes — like Luke’s failure as a teacher and uncle to Ben Solo — humanizes the characters in a way we haven’t seen in decades. The jokes don’t exactly land, and there are definitely subplots that contribute little to the main story, but as a piece of big-budget, mass-appeal filmmaking, The Last Jedi is probably the most interesting Star Wars film since The Empire Strikes Back.
