The Heartbreaking Reason Daisy Ridley Almost Quit Star Wars
One of the biggest tragedies of social media was the loss of Daisy Ridley from Instagram due to the abuse she endured there. As a more sensitive soul, seeing the brutal reality of Instagram comment section forced her to shut down her account and walk away from social media, possibly forever.
Hopefully she’ll come back and be able to use filters to block the haters. Before all that happened, though, Ridley was already dealing with imposter syndrome. It’s usually defined as not being worthy of your talents, even if you really are.
In movie terms, it means being so overwhelmed with being in a franchise you feel like you don’t belong.
All of this created a chain of events that could have led to an alternate universe of Daisy Ridley never playing Rey.
Daisy Ridley’s first time acting in a monumental film franchise
Anyone playing a new character in a Star Wars movie is asking for intense judgment, especially when a new movie hasn’t been made in years. Considering the new trilogy was a dozen years removed from the prequels and even longer from the original trilogy, it’s a wonder anything could settle peacefully from the beginning.
At least the gauntlet has been thrown now in rebooting the entire Star Wars universe, making it easier for other actors to take on new roles. However, Daisy Ridley was a sitting duck for criticism, especially in playing a new female character who happens to be the new protagonist.
In a recent interview, Ridley admits to once having imposter syndrome at an ingrained level rather than anything said initially by fans. It was all bad enough where she’d have panic attacks while making The Force Awakens. These feelings were so intense, she almost quit on several occasions.
Can you imagine what might have happened had she decided to quit right in the middle of filming? Of course, she probably only found the real mental fortitude to go forward because she likely feared she’d be smeared for dropping out midway.
Having this mental tug-of-war didn’t prepare her for the fan onslaught
If you can argue Ridley had a lot stacked against her going into Star Wars, allowing the freedom of open comments on her Instagram account just invited all the trolls to make everything worse.
Those of you who followed Ridley’s Instagram account will remember how open she was to the receptive fans. She also brought a fun and positive vibe to her account you don’t always see with every notable.
That Imposter Syndrome was perhaps quelled for a while, but now we see it was almost like a form of PTSD when all the angry trolls who didn’t like the character of Rey took it out on Ridley’s social account. Then she was jumped on even more for making a comment against gun violence at the 2016 Teen Choice Awards.
She could only take so much. Her departure stunned everyone, including leaving a gaping hole in social media with someone possessing a real heart.
Leaving Instagram arguably saved her career
It’s clear now Ridley has finally learned to live with imposter syndrome (or we hope so) after a fully-formed performance as Rey in The Last Jedi. From all indication, her performance in The Rise of Skywalker will also raise the roof thanks to the trailer showing a “Dark Rey.”
Leaving Instagram was perhaps the only way Ridley could make sure she wouldn’t have to deal with online trolls. If you become a part of the Star Wars universe, it’s arguably better to avoid reading fan opinions considering some treat the franchise like pop culture religion.
Whether Ridley still peeks in to see what people are saying on social media is anyone’s guess. She’s arguably earned enough respect where she could return and finally realize her legacy as a film icon is already firmly in place.
