At this point, it’s become universally known that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker wasn’t the ending to the sequel trilogy that fans had in mind. They’ve been sounding off their grievances on social media since the movie’s release last Christmas. Grossing less than its two predecessors, Episode IX has gotten some of the most negative reviews of any Star Wars movie. It currently sits at 52 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, one percent below The Phantom Menace. 

In a recent interview on the Dragcast podcast, Daisy Ridley spoke up about the intense backlash the movie has received, describing the experience as “upsetting.” Said Ridley:

January was not that nice. It was weird, I felt like all of this love that we’d sort of been shown the first time around, I was like, ‘Where’s the love gone?’... You know, everyone’s entitled to not like something, but it feels like it’s changed slightly. But I think in general that’s because social media and what have you… I guess now conversations are just more public, so there’s stuff I wouldn’t have seen, but honestly trying to scroll through my newsfeed in January and trying to not see ‘Star Wars’ stuff, I’d see headlines and be like ‘Oh my God this is so upsetting.'

Ridley, director J.J. Abrams, and the rest of the cast entered the new year fully aware of the potentially harsh criticism their movie would receive. Actor John Boyega has since taken to Twitter to hilariously clap back against the haters. Abrams himself opened up about Rise of Skywalker’s reception at the end of January, simply stating, “It doesn’t always work.”

Overall, Ridley admitted that the whole ordeal has been “tricky” to navigate. But ultimately, she wouldn’t change a thing. “I feel really proud of it, and I’m so thrilled to be part of it,” she said.

Gallery — Every Unanswered Question in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker:

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