Daisy Ridley says Rey got her 'perfect ending' in 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'
The concluding moments of the divisive Star Wars finale The Rise of Skywalker gave the character of Rey a “perfect ending”, according to actor Daisy Ridley.
Reflecting on her final outing as the Jedi hero in a chat with IGN, Ridley said she is “totally satisfied” with the way the story played out.
The Rise of Skywalker saw Rey revealed as the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine, whom she ultimately kills before assuming the iconic surname of Skywalker as she fashions her own, yellow-hued lightsaber.
Read more: Ridley struggled for work after The Rise of Skywalker
"I think for me the beauty of Episode IX is it ends with such hope and such potential,” said the 28-year-old star. “I just feel like that was Rey's perfect ending.”
Addressing the character’s future after the events of the films, she added: “The big battle was in Episodes VII, VIII, and IX. I think really she's probably running around the forest somewhere having a great time."
Watch: Daisy Ridley reveals alternative details about Rey’s backstory
The events of The Rise of Skywalker divided Star Wars fans, with some upset at discarded threads from previous movie The Last Jedi and others baffled by director J.J. Abrams’s story choices.
Ridley said: "I feel totally, totally satisfied with how that story finished. I just don't know what else she could do that I didn't have to do.
“Also, there are so many amazing characters in Star Wars, that it's sort of an amazing thing. I was watching the new episode of The Mandalorian, and it's just like the places it can go beyond even where it is now is so exciting."
Read more: Why The Mandalorian is the best thing to happen to Star Wars
Ridley said she has been enjoying the Disney+ series and defended the controversial recent scenes involving Baby Yoda and a canister of frog-creature eggs.
She said: "I'm like: 'Yoda, do your thing’. The creature got to be where she needed to be with the eggs. It's all good. It was beautiful.”
Ridley’s co-star John Boyega has not spoken as positively about the way things played out in The Rise of Skywalker, discussing the ways in which he believes his character was under-served.
Boyega said: “What I would say to Disney is do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side.
“It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up.”
Read more: Boyega discusses what he’d bring to James Bond role
Boyega later said he had an “honest and transparent” discussion with Disney, in which he was able to explain his concerns directly to the studio.
Watch: Recap of The Mandalorian season one