Actress Daisy Ridley has no interest in finding romance for her Star Wars character Rey.
She first portrayed the scavenger in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, when her character befriended fellow Brit John Boyega’s stormtrooper-turned-resistance soldier, Finn, and both reprised their roles for the recently-released The Last Jedi, in which Rey crosses paths with pilot fighter Poe Dameron, played by Oscar Isaac.
Their onscreen meeting had many fans wondering if Rey and Poe’s relationship would turn romantic in the next sequel, but Daisy is hoping director J.J. Abrams and screenwriters for Star Wars: Episode IX keep their bond strictly platonic.
“I haven’t spoken to J.J. but… I think it’s wonderful to have relationships that are not romantic,” she told Chinese movie outlet MTime. “I don’t think in films you always need a romantic relationship and I think friend relationships can be romantic in their gestures and their intimacy and all of that.
“So I think – hopefully – if Rey and Poe get to have some scenes together and stuff (in the sequel), that there will be intimacy. But I think… for me, it doesn’t have to be romantic love.”
Meanwhile, co-star Boyega recently admitted he was a little bummed not to share as much screen time with Daisy in The Last Jedi as he had hoped, because they had been one another’s “support system” on the set of The Force Awakens, which thrust the then-Hollywood newcomers into the spotlight.
“It was troubling and worrying (to be apart),” he admitted, “because we went through a process together and we just expected to be together in this part of the franchise. And to find out we would be separated, my heart started beating a little bit. Because we have this support system and being in this position, me and Daisy, we vibe, we understand each other.
“We’ve been through the same process of, first of all you’re doing Morrison (British supermarket) adverts and then the next year, you’re in Star Wars. So, it’s a surprising thing.”
Star Wars: Episode IX is currently in pre-production, and is set for release in late 2019.
