Daisy Ridley says Star Wars saga gets ‘a worthy ending’

The end of an epic journey has come - and it will be emotional.

That is what Daisy Ridley promised as she reprises her role as Resistance fighter and heroine Rey in Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker, the long-running space saga's final instalment that opens here tomorrow.

Shooting the sequel - directed by J.J. Abrams (The Force Awakens) - has been an emotional experience for the 27-year-old English actress.

She said: "Somebody said to me that I've been really strong throughout. But there have been so many tears. It is emotional doing the scenes, but for all really great reasons. It's like making a film with people that you really love. But it's been tough. Some of the stuff that I had to do was really intense."

Disney has teased fans by releasing new clips and trailers over the weekend.

In one, a returning Emperor Palpatine's voice declares, "This will be the final word in the story of Skywalker," while Star Destroyers and red Stormtroopers battle X-wings and Resistance fighters.

A second saw the villainous Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) growl, "I know who you are. I know the rest of your story," sending fans abuzz over the long-standing mystery about Rey's parents.

On the evolution of her character, Ridley said: "It's a tough journey she goes on. But I think Rey's been crafted by everyone in a way you will understand. You understand this messed-up Kylo person and you understand this lonely Rey person. You understand everyone."

How does it feel to have this film as the conclusion to the Skywalker saga?

I think it is great and J.J. is the guy to make this film, and because he is such a Star Wars fan and his knowledge base is so huge, he can link it all together amazingly. I think it is a very worthy ending. I hope other people feel the same.

The feeling on set is one of joy, and I think everyone here feels really good about what we are doing. And I think that will go on to the screen.

Can you talk a little bit about your training for this film?

I started training in January (last year), and it was amazing because we didn't start filming until August. When I started in January, the importance was on health and feeling good.

My main concern was just getting knackered because it's a massive shoot. I just wanted to feel really good, and obviously look like I had been training for a while, but my real thing was stamina and health and just getting ready.

Next I started kickboxing. Our stunt coordinator is amazing, so it was awesome doing that side as well. So when I actually got into doing the stunt stuff, I felt really ready.

Some of the stuff I've done is so terrifying. For example, I had to dive off a 30-foot (9m) platform. Obviously I'm on wires, but also I'm diving and stopping on a mat. But because I trusted them so much, I felt like I was able to do stuff I never thought I could have done before.

What was the most challenging scene physically?

The fight scene with Adam Driver was a challenge, but the thing that became more challenging was that we were being doused with water cannons, and it was November in England, so it was cold.

But I knew deep down I could do it. One of the things that was actually really hard was when we were doing the speeders in Jordan. I didn't know what we were doing, so I hadn't warmed up properly. And because they were sort of tilted, it was really tough, so my knees were really hurting by the end of the day.

Can you talk a little bit about the camaraderie between Rey, Poe (Oscar Isaac) and Finn (John Boyega) on-screen and off-screen?

It has been really fun, because I hadn't properly worked with Oscar Isaac before. In this one, you see Rey and Poe in a bit of a frictional friendship, which is really fun because that's how friends are. And John Boyega is just great.

To do a film with someone you don't get on with that well must be really difficult. I thank the universe all the time that it was John who I got to be with because he's just amazing.

Can you talk about what you hope audiences will take away from this film?

I think if the audience experiences anything like what we experienced making it, I think people will be very happy.

J.J. is like a fanboy who wants to make a great film. Everybody is great at their job and wanted to make a great film. Everyone is working hard to serve this one thing. Hopefully the film will be great, and I think it will be really moving.

It is really emotional for me at least, and I think it has been for other people. If you took away the space element, it's just people trying to figure it out and being confronted with these really difficult obstacles. It's these really moving small and big stories that are interlinked and how one thing has cause and effect that's affecting the fate of the galaxy, so hopefully they will feel that watching it.