‘Star Wars’ Star Daisy Ridley — 6 Facts About ‘The Force Awakens’ Leading Lady

With her recent appearance in the hit film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Daisy Ridley is quickly becoming a household name. However, before her part as Rey in the record-breaking film, the actress was a relatively unknown player in Hollywood. With that in mind, here are six interesting facts about Star Wars’ new leading lady, including how she got her break in Hollywood and some lesser known talents of the actress.

According to Business Insider, Ridley is from Westminster, London, where she was raised as the youngest sibling to five sisters. Her dad works as a photographer, while her mom is employed at bank and enjoys a career in internal communications. Beyond that, little else is known about her upbringing, though it must have been interesting living in a house with five sisters.

Speaking of her family, Ridley does have a relative who also found success in acting. In fact, Ridley’s great-uncle, Arnold Ridley, appeared in the hit British series Dad’s Army, which originally aired from 1968 through 1977. Though it can’t be said for certain, it is possible that this is where Ridley gets her talents in the acting department.

As far as her own career is concerned, the actress has a degree in musical theater from Tring Park School for the Performing Arts. Interestingly, Ridley managed to obtain her degree back in 2010, when she was only 18-years-old. This means the actress has managed to find great success in the movie business at the early age of 23.

Long before her part in Star Wars, Daisy Ridley’s career began back in 2013 with her appearance in the British comedy, Youngers. She also had a part in one installment of the long-time British drama Casualty in the same year. Apart from these roles, the actress did win a part in the 2014 film, Mr. Selfridge, and Scrawl, which was released in 2015. Although she has appeared in a number of small roles in the past two years, Ridley was not a well-known actress prior to her casting in Star Wars in 2014.

Aside from her talents in the acting department, Ridley also has a flair for singing. According to ABC News, Ridley was often found by her cast members, especially John Boyega and Oscar Isaac, in full-out singing mode during production of Star Wars. In fact, her co-stars commented that Ridley hardly ever stopped singing while the movie was being filmed. Luckily, fans were recently treated to Ridley’s singing talents when the actress uploaded a video of her singing with Isaac to her Instagram account.

Lastly, Ridley is not shy about spending time in the gym. In fact, the Star Wars actress recently posted a short clip of her workout routine to Instagram, proving just how much of a gym rat the star has become. The video includes Ridley performing a variety of exercises, including ab and shoulder workouts. Clearly, this is one method she uses in keeping in top shape for her character’s frequent marches in the sand-riddled land of Jakku.

Although she may not have been well-known prior to her appearance in the box office hit, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, there is little doubt that Ridley’s fame is only going to increase from here on out. Given how the movie has set itself up for future installments, Ridley’s part in the hit franchise is only going to expand in the coming years as the actress cements herself in Star Wars lore.

Fans can watch Ridley take on the lead role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which is currently breaking records in theaters everywhere.

Tell us! Do you think that Daisy Ridley will become a household name thanks to Star Wars? Let us know in the comments below.

[Image via LucasFilm/Disney]