Daisy Ridley breaks silence on Rise of Skywalker criticism: 'Where’s the love gone?'

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Daisy Ridley broke down her reaction to The Rise of Skywalker critics during a new interview that touched on the Star Wars franchise backlash.

The Rey actress spoke to the DragCast podcast about her feelings when the final Skywalker Saga film was dragged online by many fans and reviewers after its Dec. 18 release.

"It’s changed film by film honestly, like 98% it’s so amazing, this last film it was really tricky," Ridley said. "January was not that nice. It was weird, I felt like all of this love that we’d sort of been shown the first time around, I was like, 'Where’s the love gone?'"

"I watched the documentary, the making-of [The Skywalker Legacy], this week," Ridley continued, referencing the documentary on the film's Blu-Ray release. "And it’s so filled with love, and I think it’s that tricky thing of when you’re part of something that is so filled with love and then people [don’t like it]. You know, everyone’s entitled to not like something, but it feels like it’s changed slightly. But I think in general that’s because social media and what have you."

The actress also noted that if she didn't like a film she wouldn't tweet about it (as is the case for most who work in the entertainment industry).

"I guess now conversations are just more public, so there’s stuff I wouldn’t have seen, but honestly trying to scroll through my newsfeed in January and trying to not see Star Wars stuff, I’d see headlines and be like 'Oh my god this is so upsetting,'" she continued. "So it’s been tricky, but then it’s having that thing of I feel really proud of it, and I’m so thrilled to be part of it."

The Rise of Skywalker squeaked out just over $1 billion at the global box office, but its Rotten Tomatoes score was only 52 percent. The most common complaints were about the film's frantic pacing (which made it feel to some as if essential scenes had been cut out), its apparent efforts to overwrite plot move from The Last Jedi and some of the film's logic leaps and character arcs. Disney is currently developing new Star Wars films, but none are yet announced.

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