Star Wars' Daisy Ridley defends Rey and Kylo Ren's divisive kiss
Star Wars star Daisy Ridley has defended the divisive kiss between Rey and Kylo Ren in Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.
Ridley played protagonist Rey in the sequel trilogy of films between 2015 and 2019, alongside Ferrari's Adam Driver as the conflicted Kylo Ren / Ben Solo.
While the general reaction to the trilogy became less warm as it continued, culminating in an "upsetting" reaction to The Rise of Skywalker, a particularly controversial moment saw former enemies Rey and Kylo share a kiss.
Ridley, however, has defended the kiss, saying it felt "earned".
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"I felt like we all…it felt earned," Ridley said on a recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast when asked about the moment that alienated some of the fanbase.
"What was interesting again is intentionality. My feeling in that moment was that it was a goodbye, and that felt earned," she explained.
"You can call a kiss a thousand things, but I felt it was a goodbye. That whole scene felt emotional and I felt I was saying goodbye to the job, too."
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Ridley is set to reprise her role as Rey Skywalker in an as-yet untitled film from Ms Marvel director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, that takes place 15 years after the Star Wars sequel trilogy ended.
Speaking about the role previously, she described her excitement over the upcoming project.
Talking to Variety, Ridley said, "I'm excited to do the job, but not because Sharmeen is a woman. Her documentaries are amazing. Her idea for the story is cool as shit."
She continued: "No spoilers, but she gave a rundown of the entire story. If it weren't amazing, I would have been like, 'OK, call me in five years.' But it's worthwhile."
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and the entire Skywalker Saga are available on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K now, as well as on Disney+.
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