When we were talking to Kathleen Kennedy earlier today, she referred Rey as the new generation’s Luke Skywalker. How do you feel about that and what do you think it means to girls coming up in this generation that are going to see the film maybe for the first time?
Daisy: Well it’s weird. I wasn’t really thinking about myself in those terms when I was doing it, because I think that might have been slightly overwhelming. But now, I can kind of see all of them in her. She’s a pilot so there’s Han. And she’s a kick-ass woman, so there’s Leia. But definitely the humble beginnings and an incredible story is the same as Luke. Obviously it’s very exciting that I’m a girl and that more people hopefully will be able to relate to this story because of that.
I wasn’t a huge Star Wars fan before, so I’m hoping that with the fact that I’m as excited as I am, I hope that other people can feel that. And perhaps feel like this is something that they can now come on board to if they haven’t already felt that.
When Daisy was asked what other female roles inspired her interpretation of Rey, she had something wonderful to say about one of my favorite stories of all time:
Daisy: Matilda is my favorite film. Matilda’s obviously in a family that doesn’t [appreciate] her and Rey has no one. But to go on a journey of self discovery, and push yourself beyond limits, and meet people who bring the best out of you. I can definitely see those parallels.
What characteristics of Rey do you see in yourself?
Obviously I see a lot of myself in her. Because it’s me playing her. I quite like myself as a person. I think everyone can be hard on themselves, but all too often people are far too hard on themselves and it’s not celebrated enough that people can actually enjoy themselves.
I like to think I’m kind of brave, but she’s far braver. I like to think I try and do the right thing, but she far exceeds that. She’s not polished and she’s nuanced, and I think that’s why she’s so brilliant and so relatable. She’s far more of anything I think I could ever be.
4hatsandfrugal, December 2015
