In her first-ever film role, the 23-year-old British-born actress plays Rey, a pilot and scavenger at the center of the action in the hugely anticipated "Episode VII."
The film's nonstop promotional schedule has left Ridley with a cold that has her wrapped in a winter coat on a recent warm Southern California day.
"Finn and Kylo have a fight with a lightsaber," is all she would say, referring to co-stars John Boyega and Adam Driver, whose tussle has already been shown in the film's trailers.
The actress did undergo months of physical training to prepare for her role, a regimen that included weightlifting, climbing and "staff training" — footage shows Rey running and fighting with a staff.
The youngest of five, Ridley appeared in small roles in medical and crime television dramas in the U.K. before capturing director J.J. Abrams' attention in her audition for "The Force Awakens."
Luckily, to have J.J. there, who is so kind and considerate and encouraging, and to have a crew of people who made me feel safe and not rushed and not pressured, that is precisely what took the pressure off.
