Daisy Ridley Says ‘Star Wars’ Fandom Sexism Isn’t Really a Thing – Inside the Magic
Daisy Ridley is going on the record to say that the Star Wars fandom”s increasingly negative reputation for sexism has been “blown out of proportion” and that she has personally not had any issues.
This is a surprising revelation from Daisy Ridley, who starred as Rey Skywalker in the Disney Star Wars sequel trilogy and will soon reprise the role in an upcoming New Jedi Order film. Rey was introduced in The Force Awakens (2015), along with characters played by Adam Driver, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac, and while Ridley was critically applauded for her performance by many, that was hardly universal.
In a recent appearance on The Today Show, host Dylan Dryer addressed the franchise”s reputation for toxicity, saying, “[s]peaking of [director]Sharmeen [Obaid-Chinoy], there are some of the – I would say ‘extreme’ Star Wars fans who have made this a conversation on the internet about how they don’t want a female director.”
Dryer continued, commenting that it “seems bizarre because episodes of The Mandalorian were directed by females, I mean, Kathleen Kennedy has been overseeing all of this.” It is worth mentioning that Kathleen Kennedy is herself a controversial figure to many within the fandom for her handling of the franchise.
Related: Original Ahsoka Actress Ashley Eckstein Returns to Iconic ‘Star Wars’ Character
Daisy Ridley replied, saying, “I think my take is, things get blown out of proportion, and the interactions that I’ve had with people have been nothing but wonderful and supportive, and honestly, the day that we announced that I was coming back at [Star Wars] Celebration last year, you cannot imagine the joy and goodwill in that room. I’ve only ever been embraced, and I think we’re gonna make a great film for people.”
At the very least, this seems like a very diplomatic answer from Daisy Ridley regarding the sexism in the Star Wars community. In her initial run, Ridley”s character was dismissed as a “Mary Sue” by some corners of the fandom, which the actress described as an inherently sexist term and position on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, asserting that criticisms against her character for being Force-sensitive and inherently talented were not levied against Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).
It is difficult to argue that there is not a strong vein of sexism within at least part of the Star Wars fandom, given that the announcement of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the first female (and POC) director, was criticized for being “woke” and part of a “culture war.” Currently, unconfirmed rumors are flying that she has been fired, implicitly because of a backlash to her hiring in the first place.
Related: 25 Years Later, ‘Star Wars’ Brings Back Darth Maul for New Horror Project
Some online commentators have even gone so far as to threaten a lawsuit against Lucasfilm”s parent company, Disney, for somehow damaging investors by hiring a woman to direct a Star Wars movie. Such things could be more easily dismissed as wild fringe statements if they were not also being supported and amplified by Elon Musk, the world”s richest man and a prominent anti-woke voice.
Still, Daisy Ridley is allowed to have her own thoughts about Star Wars fans and how they feel about her. Hopefully, she continues to have a good experience.
Do you think Star Wars fandom has a streak of sexism? Tell us in the comments below!
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