There is little doubt that Star Wars: The Force Awakens was one of the most highly anticipated films in recent years considering that it was the first Star Wars movie to be released in 10 years. Not surprisingly, the pressure of carrying such a massive project had a certain effect on lead star Daisy Ridley. The Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker actress has just opened up about having severe anxiety after the premiere of Episode VII.
Ridley spoke about the difficulties she went through when The Force Awakens was finally released. She shared with Vulture that she was overwhelmed by all the pressure that came with being a part of the Star Wars franchise.
"I think it was — I was training in a way I'd never done," Ridley said. "It's a lot for a body to take. It was a massive press tour, going to all of these countries I'd never been to. It's hard on your body to do things like that. I basically did not properly take care of myself."
Luckily, Ridley had learned her lesson and is making sure that she takes care of herself first.
"So now it's like, 'A massage would be good! A facial would be good'. All that talk about self-care — it's really important. I still train really hard, but in a way that's much gentler on your body. I've realized that you don't have to absolutely kill yourself in order to be healthy. It was a big lesson," she said.
Ridley is certainly doing better at this point once she decided to put herself first. Nevertheless, the nightmare that followed the premiere on The Force Awakens still haunts her. "I don't think anything will ever be as scary as the initial six months after Star Wars came out," Ridley said.
It may have been a terrible way to realize that self-care is important yet we're glad that Ridley is in better shape today.
Ridley will return in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which premieres on December 20.
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