Daisy Ridley found the force for her audition as Rey in “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.”
Director J.J. Abrams asked Ridley to read an intense torture scene for her audition in which Rey struggles against Kylo Ren’s force as he attempts to access her mind and inner thoughts. Ridley’s audition first appeared on Buzzfeed and shows how Ridley won over the legendary director.
“She just blew my mind,” Abrams said in a voiceover. “She’s reaching this depth of struggle and tears were streaming down her face. I thought, ‘This was unbelievable.’ ”
Abrams revealed the difficulty in finding the perfect actor to portray Rey.
“This character needed to be vulnerable and tough, sweet and terrified,” Abrams said. “And to find someone that no one knew who could do all these things took a lot of looking.”
Co-producer Michelle Rejwan credits the film’s casting directors Nina Gold, April Webster, and Alyssa Weisberg for finding a new generation of actors like Ridley, as well as John Boyega, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, Lupita Nyong’o, Oscar Isaac, and others to join the “Star Wars” franchise.
Ridley, mostly unknown prior to her casting, impressed Abrams with her audition.
“It wasn’t until we found Daisy that we just felt like she was capable of doing all of these things this character required,” Abrams said.
“Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” will be released on Digital HD April 1 and Blu-Ray and DVD April 5. The set includes additional behind the scenes footage and extras.
Watch Ridley’s gut-wrenching audition below.
Looking for new material for your next audition? Try “The Monologuer” for a customized search!