If you were in a London pub back in 2013, there is a legitimate chance Daisy Jazz Isobel Ridley served you a pint. She was working two jobs, barely scraping by, and wondering if her career would ever be more than a bit part in a hospital drama like Casualty. Then J.J. Abrams called.
Suddenly, she wasn't just a girl from Westminster. She was Rey.
Most people think being the face of a multi-billion dollar franchise is a golden ticket. Honestly? It's often a trap. We’ve seen it happen to plenty of actors who get swallowed by their iconic roles and never quite make it back to the "real" world of cinema. But 2026 is proving to be the year that Daisy Ridley officially broke that cycle.
The Scavenger Who Actually Stayed
When The Force Awakens dropped in 2015, the pressure was immense. You've got to remember that Ridley was a total unknown. Unlike her co-stars, she didn’t have a long resume to fall back on. She was just... there. And she was brilliant. But after The Rise of Skywalker wrapped in 2019, the industry held its breath.
Would she disappear?
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She didn't. Instead, she did something kinda gutsy. She went small. While everyone expected her to jump into another massive blockbuster, she pivoted to indie dramas like Sometimes I Think About Dying. She started producing. She took roles that required her to be quiet, internal, and—frankly—not at all like a Jedi.
The Health Battle Nobody Saw Coming
Behind the scenes of the red carpets and the lightsaber training, Ridley was dealing with a lot. She’s been incredibly open about her diagnosis with Graves’ disease. For those who don't know, it’s an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid.
It’s not just "being tired." It’s a total system overhaul.
She also manages PCOS and endometriosis. In a 2024 interview with Women’s Health, she mentioned how she had to shift her entire lifestyle. She went vegan (mostly) and gluten-free. Not for the trend, but because she literally didn't feel good.
"It's just normalized to not feel good," she once told an interviewer, reflecting on how women often ignore their own symptoms.
She’s used her platform to push for better diagnostics for women. It’s one of the reasons fans find her so relatable. She isn't just a face on a poster; she's someone who spends her Sundays doing cryotherapy and acupuncture just to stay functional.
What’s Happening in 2026?
If you’re looking for where Daisy Jazz Isobel Ridley is right now, look at the credits of We Bury the Dead. Released just recently, the movie has critics losing their minds. She plays Ava, a woman searching for her husband after a catastrophic event. It’s a grief-heavy, gritty performance that has nothing to do with space.
She’s also just finished filming The Last Resort with Alden Ehrenreich (yep, Han Solo meets Rey, finally). They shot it in the Philippines, and she’s been sharing bits of her "Christmas adventure" through Singapore and New Zealand on social media.
But let’s address the Bantha in the room.
Is the New Jedi Order Movie Actually Happening?
Rumors have been flying. At Star Wars Celebration, it was confirmed she’d return as Rey in a film directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. The plot? Rebuilding the Jedi Order.
But things at Lucasfilm are... complicated.
With Kathleen Kennedy exiting and Dave Filoni taking more control, the "Rey movie" has been noticeably quiet. Some reports say it’s a top priority. Others notice it was missing from recent major press releases. Ridley herself remains the ultimate professional, telling fans it’ll be "worth the wait."
Whether that movie shoots this year or not, her schedule is packed. She’s got The Good Samaritan on the horizon, an action thriller where she plays a doctor caught in a conspiracy off the coast of Indonesia.
The Primrose Hill Life
Despite the global fame, Daisy lives a relatively quiet life in Primrose Hill, London. She married actor Tom Bateman (they met on the set of Murder on the Orient Express) and they are famously private. No messy tabloid scandals. No "look at me" Hollywood parties.
She’s a nerd at heart. On a recent flight, she was spotted reading Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros. Fans are already screaming for her to be cast in the TV adaptation.
Honestly, it suits her.
Why She’s Winning
Ridley has survived the "Star Wars Curse" because she refused to let the franchise own her identity. She’s a producer now. She’s a writer (she helped develop the story for Magpie). She’s an advocate for chronic health awareness.
She’s 33 years old and just getting started.
If you want to support her work beyond the galaxy far, far away, here is what you should do:
- Watch Young Woman and the Sea: It’s her best physical performance to date. She trained for months to swim in open water to play Gertrude Ederle.
- Check out Sometimes I Think About Dying: It’s on streaming now. It’s slow, beautiful, and shows her range better than any explosion ever could.
- Follow her health advocacy: If you or someone you know struggles with PCOS or Graves', her interviews on the subject are genuinely helpful and de-stigmatizing.
Keep an eye on the trades for the New Jedi Order production dates. It’s coming, but Daisy Ridley has proven she doesn't need a lightsaber to stay relevant.