Daisy Ridley weighed in on this kinda sexist critique of her character in “Star Wars,” and we couldn’t agree with her more
Even though most people were enamored with Daisy Ridley’s character Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, there were some who seemed to have an inexplicably aggressive dislike for her.
According to Vulture, Ridley responded to criticisms about Rey — specifically that she was a ‘Mary Sue’ — which refers to a character who’s unrealistically perfect (and in this case, presumably too skilled with the Force). Given everything we know about Ridley, it’s no surprise that she approached this topic gracefully and with a lot of tact (like the time she opened up about endometriosis). Defending her characters is probably not a perk of being an actress, but she’s taking it in stride!
On MTV News Happy Sad Confused podcast, Ridley explained her perspective on Rey.
"I think Rey is incredibly vulnerable, and nothing she’s doing is for the greater good. She’s just doing what she thinks is the right thing. And she doesn’t want to do some of it, but she feels compelled to do it."
She added that she was “confused” by the accusations, and felt particularly strongly about the label people were using.
"Everyone was saying how Luke had the same capabilities. [...] The Mary Sue thing in itself is sexist because it’s the name of a woman."
It’s great to see Daisy Ridley fighting for her character, because this debate brings up the larger issues of sexism and this old-time-y belief that women shouldn’t be strong, athletic and powerful figures — which is obviously ridiculous.
Women are all of those badass things and more — in fiction and in real life!
Good for you, Daisy. Keep rising above all this drama.
