The Star Wars sequel trilogy has been a center of criticism since the release of The Force Awakens, and the hate grew with the release of The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. The release of The Rise of Skywalker was widely panned by critics and fans alike. Given the absence of Star Wars content on the big screen, the franchise has yet to bounce back from the failure that sequels brought to the intergalactic universe. One of the trilogy's stars, Daisy Ridley, who portrayed the ever-forceful Rey, opened up that after starring in the box office failure sequels, she had a hard time securing another acting job.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ridley recalled her experience of being unemployed after finishing the Rey cinematic saga and how there was a slight panic mode when “nothing was coming through” job-wise in the first couple of months after Rise of Skywalker hit theaters in December 2019. “Weirdly, at the beginning of the year nothing was coming through,” she said. “I was like, 'Aww! No one wants to employ me.’” Ridley later remarks how “there were actually loads of things that I auditioned for at the beginning of the year and didn’t get any of them.”
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Despite the trilogy failing to meet the expectations of many, some fans still want to see Ridley reprise her role as Rey. During a past interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ridley was asked about the rumors claiming she might have a role in Damon Lindelof's Star Wars project, to which she replied, “I don’t know if there are plans. I just don’t know. But ultimately, I loved my experience, I loved what I got to do and I love the people I got to work with. So, should that happen again, even once, amazing,” When IMDb asked if she'd ever return to the world of Star Wars, Ridley said, “I'm open to a phone call...I'm looking for employment.”
Many believe that The Rise of Skywalker was an underwhelming conclusion to the trilogy because the creators were concerned about a small subset of fans reacting negatively to change or anything that felt different from every other Star Wars film. In the end, that fear harmed the film, and any unique or interesting plot lines or themes were dropped to appeal to fans who would ultimately reject the finished product. However, Lucasfilm is currently working on additional Star Wars entries for the big screen, which fans are expecting to be announced at the upcoming Star Wars Celebration 2023.
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The Star Wars saga is streaming on Disney+.
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