Daisy Ridleymay have grown up a hugeHarry Potterfan, but she has no desire to take on a role inthe forthcoming television series adaptation. And before you assume her rationale has anything to do withthe controversiessurrounding the franchise’s creator,J.K. Rowling, think again. It’s merely because sheissuch a big fan that she believes “the pressure” would be too intimidating to overcome.
In a quote the actress gave at a screening (hosted byCollider,but with the quotes coming fromScreenRant) for her new filmCleaner, Ridley was quite direct about the reasons as to why she never even considered trying to be cast in the production:
“I haven’t asked to be a part of it because, honestly, I am so… Those performances are so phenomenal that I feelit would be so terrifying to take on one of those roles. Just, I mean… a huge commitment of time, but really it’s just, I just love the films. I love the performances. And I’m really looking forward to seeing what they do with them, because they will clearly be so different. But, oh my God, the pressure would be so high.”
To be honest, it makes a lot of sense!
Daisy Ridley Is Busy Enough Doing ‘Star Wars’ Things To Practice Magic At Hogwarts, Y’all
If anyone knows a thing or two about the tremendous time and life commitment it takes to be involved in a mega-franchise, it’s absolutely Ridley, the star of the recent trioStar Warsfilms, who is alsoheavily involvedin what comes next for that universe far, far away. TheHarry Potterseries would likely require a 10-year commitment for many of its actors, given the amount of time it takes to not only make a television series, but also the amount of time covered in the many books that make up the story of the Boy Who Lived.
And that would be a lot for someone like Ridley to take on — and we don’t blame her for not wanting to deal with the constant expectations (and rabid online exclamations, to be frank) from dissatisfied and impatient fans. She already gets plenty of that from theStar Warscohort: something she recently addressed in a recent interview.
Whenspeaking about her returnas Rey in Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’sStar Wars: New Jedi Order(which was announced back in 2023), Ridley was adamant in her assertions that taking time between films was a good thing for the films and the fans.
Daisy Ridley Suggests Fans Are Just Going To Have To Accept ‘Star Wars’ Movie Delays If They Want Good Films
It is better to take time developing the script than rush into production just to meet a release date.
“People have talked about it a lot, that the release date often affects films and how quickly things go into production,” sheexplained toTHRearlier this month. “So the freedom to make sure that this script is the best way to tell this story is wonderful, and I don’t think any fans would want it to be rushed.” She went on to promise that, “[t]he wait will be worth it. I know what George [Nolfi] is working on, and he is a phenomenal writer. So I’m really looking forward to reading it, and yes, it’s all worthwhile.”
Nolfi is the second screenwriter to take a stab at the script after ts initial version was written by Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson. After that, it fell into the hands of Steven Knight (ofPeaky Blindersfame) for a short while, before ending up in Nolfi’s capable hands. Given how the chips fell with the last set ofStar Warsfilms (justice forThe Last Jedi!), we’re absolutely fine with the series taking its time to get things right rather than rush to production for the sake of movie studio’s made-up mandates and release date timelines.
And, man, those newHarry Potterkids are going to have their work cut out for them.
