Daisy Ridley Roundup: August 25, 2015

Empire Magazine TFA hero coverOn heels of D23 Expo, the Daisy Ridley Roundup is in full swing. Here is what is new for the week August 19-25, 2015.

First, let’s start with some Studio Ghibli news! Variety reported yesterday that Daisy Ridley has been tapped to voice act in the English version of Only Yesterday, along with Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire, Chappie), Alison Fernandez (Orange Is The New Black), and Ashley Eckstein (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels). It’s exciting to see the diversity in the cast and that two prominent Star Wars actresses are working together on this project. Studio Ghibli tweeted about the recording shortly after the Variety article went up, plus Ridley gave us a sneak peek at her recording session.

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The Wrap has named The Force Awakens stars Daisy Ridley and John Boyega breakout stars for the fall movie season. Since D23 many more interviews have surfaced with the pair, including one with Cineplex. Boyega explains “Finn and Rey come from very parallel backgrounds” – a topic we’ll discuss on tonight’s recording of Hyperspace Theories. Ridley expressed her “hope that the relationship between her and John comes through on-screen.” Boyega admitted to calling Ridley his “little peanut.”

Meredith Woerner, interviewing Ridley for LA Times, asked about Rey’s costume. Ridley noted that the young scavenger repurposing things like stormtrooper helmet goggles is all part of showing the character is “self-sufficient.” Woerner also questions Rey’s “relationship with the Force,” to which Ridley responds, “Isn’t that a question? We will have to wait until December 18th to find out.” Although the actress concluded the interview with a very Jedi-like quote about the mystical energy.

Tiffany Smith, reporting for Fandango Movie Clips, asked great questions of the cast and crew. Ridley admitted she hadn’t seen the Struzan poster before the panel, calling it “insane.” She goes on to say, “It’s nice that along the way we can keep people involved as much as possible. I know it’s difficult when we’re keeping secrets, but it’s for all the right reasons.” Smith complimented Ridley for Rey’s badass potential, then pondered about any connections between the staff and Darth Plagueis. Ridley’s expression at the end makes the video worth a watch.

While we’re on connections to the Prequel Trilogy, Meghan on Twitter doesn’t want us to forget Padmé.

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Last week we mentioned the Girl Power angle of the movie’s marketing. In her Instagram feed this week, Ridley shows her vulnerability, admitting her own insecurities when first meeting fans at Celebration, and her physical and mental strength, using a video of herself lifting 167 lbs. to speak about body image. She also talks about Leia’s strength and vulnerability in a sit-down with Yahoo! Movies.

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The reveal of Rey, front and center, on the hero variant cover (shown at top) for Empire magazine’s winter movie preview shows a slow crescendo on the Girl Power campaign. Expect to see that staff in action before the movie’s release.

Finally, fans have been showing their love for Rey in the Art Awakens competition. Check out some favorites.


Tricia Barr took her understanding of brand management and marketing, mixed it with a love of genre storytelling, and added a dash of social media flare to create FANgirl Blog, where she discusses Star Wars, fandom, and strong female characters. She is one of four authors of Ultimate Star Wars from DK Publishing, has written several feature articles for Star Wars Insider magazine and is a contributor for Her Universe’s Year of the Fangirl. Her FANgirl opinions can be heard on the podcasts Hyperspace Theories and RebelForce Radio Presents Fangirls Going Rogue.

Tricia Barr’s novel, Wynde, won the 2014 Independent Publisher Book Award Gold Medal for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Ebook. She was also part of Silence in the Library’s successful all-female creator science fiction and fantasy anthology Athena’s Daughters, which is available now. For excerpts and tales of her adventures in creating a fictional universe, hop over to TriciaBarr.com.

For updates on all things FANgirl follow @FANgirlcantina on Twitter or like FANgirl Zone on Facebook. At times she tries the Tumblr.

Fangirl

Fangirl

Tricia Barr took her understanding of brand management and marketing, mixed it with a love of genre storytelling, and added a dash of social media flare to create FANgirl Blog, where she discusses Star Wars, fandom, and the intersection of women within Star Wars fandom. She is co-author of Ultimate Star Wars and Star Wars Visual Encyclopedia from DK Publishing, a featured writer for Star Wars Insider magazine with numerous articles on the Hero's Journey. Her FANgirl opinions can be heard on the podcasts Hyperspace Theories and Fangirls Going Rogue. Tricia Barr's novel, Wynde, won the 2014 Independent Publisher Book Award Gold Medal for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Ebook. She was also part of Silence in the Library's successful all-female creator science fiction and fantasy anthology Athena's Daughters, which is available now. For excerpts and tales of her adventures in creating a fictional universe, hop over to TriciaBarr.com.