British actress Daisy Ridley, who portrays Rey in “Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker,” said Disney doesn’t have her on any sort of rhetorical leash when it comes to politics — particularly about President Trump.
The linchpin heroine of the latest “Star Wars” movie and the previous two installments of the franchise sat down recently with the U.K. Guardian for a wide-ranging interview when the conversation veered into U.S. politics.
Ms. Ridley said that Americans must suffer some form of mental illness to support the Republican president.
“Given that Disney owns Star Wars, is she conscious of what issues she can talk about publicly?” writer Nosheen Iqbal opined for an interview published over the weekend. “Does she have to modify, say, her politics?”
“No. I don’t feel I have to edit what I say — the things that make me angry are the things that make everyone angry,” she replied. “Everyone is annoyed with [Prime Minister Boris Johnson]. Everyone has an issue with Trump — every sane person anyway.”
Ms. Ridley added that she would be more outspoken on political matters if she were more adept at messaging.
“It’s not that I don’t talk about this stuff, but other people are so much more articulate than me and say it better.”
The author was then escorted from the room, but not before likening the interview to “a therapy session.”
“Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker,” directed by J.J. Abrams, premieres on Dec. 19.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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