Ranking Daisy Ridley's Greatest Movies
From Scavengers to Swimmers and Force Wielders
Discover the finest cinematic performances of Daisy Ridley, featuring her breakout Star Wars role and powerful dramatic turns in modern cinema.
About Daisy Ridley
In the middle of the last decade, a virtually unknown Londoner stepped onto a desert planet and changed the temperature of blockbuster filmmaking overnight. When Daisy Ridley first appeared as Rey in The Force Awakens, she carried a grounded, flinty vulnerability that anchored a multi-billion dollar mythology. While many young actors would have been swallowed whole by the machinery of a galaxy far, far away, she used the trilogy as a high-stakes masterclass, evolving from the wide eyed scavenger of The Last Jedi to the battle hardened leader of The Rise of Skywalker. She emerged from that franchise not just as a global silhouette, but as an actor with a rare, tectonic control over her own screen presence.
The true fascination of her career lies in what she did once the lightsabers were put away. Rather than chasing every hollow studio tentpole, she pivoted toward a more cerebral, textured brand of storytelling. She has a singular gift for playing women who are haunted by their own internal architectures. Whether she is navigating the jagged, psychological suspense of The Marsh King's Daughter or the dystopian friction of Chaos Walking, she possesses a stillness that forces the audience to lean in. There is an unmistakable intelligence behind her eyes that suggests she is always three moves ahead of the plot, a quality that served her well among the prestige ensemble of Murder on the Orient Express.
Audiences connect with her because she resists the typical artifice of the Hollywood starlet. She feels tactile and real. This was perhaps most evident in her 2024 indie turn in Sometimes I Think About Dying, where she delivered a masterfully quiet performance as a socially isolated office worker. It was a role that stripped away the spectacle to reveal a performer capable of articulating profound loneliness with nothing more than a momentary glance. She followed this with Young Woman and the Sea, transforming herself into Gertrude Ederle with a physicality that felt both grueling and triumphant. It served as a reminder that she can carry a traditional epic on her back through sheer force of will.
Her recent output suggests a hunger for darker, more complicated terrain. In the neo-noir Magpie, which she also helped develop, she explores a sharp edged domestic tension that feels miles away from her early heroines. With the upcoming action thriller Cleaner, she seems poised to reclaim the genre space on her own terms, bringing a seasoned grit to the table. She has successfully navigated the most difficult trajectory in show business, moving from the face of a corporate phenomenon to a respected architect of independent cinema. She is no longer just a figurehead of a fandom; she is one of the most unpredictable and precise actors of her generation, constantly redefining what it means to be a modern leading lady.
Grande Envie
2025Set in an opulent chateau, a widowed Count (Willem Dafoe) meets three young strangers, who are full of desire of adventures. But then, the deceased Countess (Daisy Ridley), haunts her widowed husband through the lens of a camera, collapsing then and now, amongst youthful decadence and yearning.
Scrawl
2015A boy writes a comic book with his best friend, and finds situations depicted in the comic book coming to life. Along with the appearance of a mysterious girl, the boy is forced to face the reality of what he has written, and begins a battle to attempt to rewrite death.
Ophelia
2019Ophelia comes of age as lady-in-waiting for Queen Gertrude, and her singular spirit captures Hamlet's affections. As lust and betrayal threaten the kingdom, Ophelia finds herself trapped between true love and controlling her own destiny.
Blue Season
2013A woman wakes up hanging upside down. When she screams for help, a phone rings and a voice helps her escape.
Asteroid Hunters
2020Venture into deep space for a fascinating look at asteroids, their cosmic origins and the potential threat they pose to our world. Written and produced by Phil Groves, produced by Jini Durr and directed by W.D. Hogan, Asteroid Hunters introduces asteroid scientists – the best line of defense between Earth and an asteroid’s destructive path – and reveals the cutting-edge tools and techniques they use to detect and track asteroids, and the technology that may one day protect our planet. The effects of an asteroid impact could be catastrophic and while the current probability of an event in our lifetime is low, the potential consequences make the study of asteroids an incredibly important area of scientific research. Witness the latest in planetary defense and how science, ingenuity and determination combine to explore the world’s most preventable natural disaster.
Cleaner
2025When a group of radical activists take over an energy company's annual gala, seizing 300 hostages, an ex-soldier turned window cleaner suspended 50 storeys up on the outside of the building must save those trapped inside, including her older brother.
Returning to the realm of the high-concept thriller, Ridley utilizes her established physicality to anchor a tense, vertically-driven narrative. This role underscores her unique niche as an actor who can balance the demands of intense stunt work with a grounded, relatable urgency.
Magpie
2024A couple's lives are thrown into disarray when their daughter is cast opposite a controversial major star.
Stepping into the role of both star and story architect, Ridley explores a fractured domesticity that highlights her capacity for playing high-stakes paranoia. It is a calculated, sharp-edged turn that suggests her future interests may lie in the uncomfortable corners of the human psyche.
Chaos Walking
2021Two unlikely companions embark on a perilous adventure through the badlands of an unexplored planet as they try to escape a dangerous and disorienting reality, where all inner thoughts are seen and heard by everyone.
Despite the production’s chaotic trajectory, Ridley maintains a stoic and steady presence as the film’s moral compass. Her chemistry with the screen remains palpable even when the world-building falters, signaling her reliability as a focal point for large-scale science fiction.
The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once again as the journey of Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron continues. With the power and knowledge of generations behind them, the final battle begins.
Tasked with bringing a contentious trilogy to its conclusion, Ridley provides the emotional anchor that prevents the spectacle from adrift. Her fierce commitment to the physical and spiritual toll of her character's journey remains the most consistent element of the film's final movement.
The Marsh King's Daughter
2023Helena, a woman living a seemingly ordinary life, hides a dark secret—her father is the infamous 'Marsh King', the man who kept her and her mother captive in the wilderness for years. After a lifetime of trying to escape her past, Helena is forced to face her demons when her father unexpectedly escapes from prison.
Ridley pivots toward the psychological thriller genre with a performance defined by guarded suspicion and trauma. She effectively portrays the tension of a woman forced to reconcile a suburban present with a feral past, showcasing a darker, more cynical edge than her previous heroic turns.
Genius Belgian detective Hercule Poirot investigates the murder of an American tycoon aboard the Orient Express train.
Holding her own within a sprawling ensemble of heavyweights, Ridley brings a sharp, crisp intelligence to the screen that hints at a classic Hollywood sensibility. She manages to carve out a distinct presence in a crowded frame, proving she can thrive in the refined, dialogue-heavy atmosphere of a period mystery.
Sometimes I Think About Dying
2024Fran likes to think about dying. It brings sensation to her quiet life. When she makes the new guy at work laugh, it leads to more: a date, a slice of pie, a conversation, a spark. The only thing standing in their way is Fran herself.
In this introverted indie gem, Ridley sheds her action-hero skin to master the art of the quiet, awkward beat. By weaponizing silence and a heavy internal gaze, she demonstrates a startling capacity for minimalist character study that few saw coming after her years in the studio system.
Rey develops her newly discovered abilities with the guidance of Luke Skywalker, who is unsettled by the strength of her powers. Meanwhile, the Resistance prepares to do battle with the First Order.
Working under Rian Johnson’s subversive direction, Ridley finds new colors in her signature character by leaning into moral ambiguity and a desperate search for identity. It is a psychologically dense performance that proves she can navigate complex thematic waters just as effectively as high-octane action.
Young Woman and the Sea
2024This is the extraordinary true story of Trudy Ederle, the first woman to successfully swim the English Channel. Through the steadfast support of her older sister and supportive trainers, she overcame adversity and the animosity of a patriarchal society to rise through the ranks of the Olympic swimming team and complete the 21-mile trek from France to England.
This grueling physical turn as Gertrude Ederle serves as a definitive statement of Ridley’s endurance and grit as a traditional leading lady. She eschews sentimental tropes to capture the singular, obsessive chill of an athlete defying the Atlantic, marking a sophisticated evolution in her dramatic range.
Thirty years after defeating the Galactic Empire, Han Solo and his allies face a new threat from the evil Kylo Ren and his army of Stormtroopers.
Ridley exploded into the cultural zeitgeist with an effortless blend of vulnerability and nascent power, single-handedly carrying the legacy of a massive franchise on her then-unknown shoulders. Her ability to ground high-concept space fantasy in raw, human longing remains the gold standard for modern blockbuster debuts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about this list and SnakeDrafts
- Daisy Ridley's breakout role was as Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, where she delivered a grounded and compelling performance that resonated with audiences and critics alike, establishing her as a leading actress in blockbuster cinema.
- The list showcases Ridley's versatility, from her action-packed roles in the Star Wars trilogy to the dramatic depth in films like Young Woman and the Sea and Sometimes I Think About Dying, highlighting her ability to handle a diverse spectrum of characters and genres.
- Yes, Daisy Ridley stars in Young Woman and the Sea, a historical drama that illustrates her skill in portraying complex real-life characters and bringing historical narratives to life with depth and nuance.
- Indeed, Daisy Ridley has appeared in mystery and crime genres, with notable examples including Murder on the Orient Express and The Marsh King's Daughter, where she explores suspenseful and dramatic storytelling beyond her science fiction roots.
- Apart from the Star Wars saga, Ridley has ventured into science fiction with films like Chaos Walking and Blue Season, showcasing her continued interest and capability in this genre.
- Yes, Daisy Ridley has embraced romantic roles as seen in Ophelia and Sometimes I Think About Dying, highlighting her adaptability to roles that blend romance with drama and comedy.
- The list features several recent and upcoming films such as Young Woman and the Sea (2024), Sometimes I Think About Dying (2024), and Cleaner (2025), indicating Ridley's active presence and evolving career in contemporary cinema.
