Daisy Ridley Says J.J. Abrams Called Her Acting 'Wooden' on the 'Force Awakens' Set

Daisy Ridley (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

By Jackson McHenry, Vulture

It can’t be easy to start off your career in the heart of a multibillion dollar franchise. In an new interview with Glamour UK (via NME), 23-year-old Ridley revealed director J.J. Abrams criticized her for her “wooden” acting when she first started filming The Force Awakens. “He probably doesn’t remember telling me that my performance was wooden,” she said, “This was the first day! And I honestly wanted to die. I thought I was gonna cry, I couldn’t breathe. And there was so many crew there, because obviously all the creatures [had stand-ins], and there were loads of extra crew making sure everyone was safe ’cause it was so hot. It was awful."

Things seem to have improved as shooting continued, however, and Ridley said that "My experience has been incredible,” both with the rest of the cast and crew, and with Disney’s PR team. “I’ve felt supported and respected the whole way through. I’ve not been told not to do anything. My Instagram has not been … what it’s called when they keep tabs on it? Yeah, it’s not monitored.” This is wonderful news, as Ridley’s Instagram is a Great British Bake Off–filled delight. Let’s hope she sticks to the advice of her co-star/interview mom Carrie Fisher and remains as candid as ever.

Watch Harrison Ford talk about ‘The Force Awakens:’

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