Daisy Ridley Mourns “Monumental Loss” Of Castmate Carrie Fisher

Daisy Ridley, the 24-year-old star of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, released a statement following the death of her castmate Carrie Fisher on Tuesday.

DAISY RIDLEY WRITES STATEMENT ABOUT CARRIE FISHER LOSS

“Devastated at this monumental loss,” wrote Ridley. “How lucky we all are to have known her, and how awful that we have to say goodbye.” The pair both appeared in Star Wars Episode VII and also finished filming Star Wars Episode VIII.

For all of Star Wars history until the J.J. Abrams directed Episode VII, Fisher was the only female lead in the franchise. Ridley played the main character Rey in the most recent film, taking the focus off of Fisher. “It’s good to have a little help,” Fisher said last year. “I liked being the only one when I was 19… Now, I need some backup.”

Fisher took Ridley under her wing during filming, and said, “I’ve been warning her, that’s how I help people.” She shared her knowledge of the industry and pushed Ridley to keep fighting against sexism. “You should fight for your outfit,” Fisher advised after condemning her cultural role as a sex object. “Don’t be a slave like I was.”

Ridley recently shut down her Twitter and Instagram accounts due to backlash she faced after posting a message against gun violence. Her reasoning was that she wanted to take a break from her phone for a while, but many think her steep ascent to stardom took her by surprise and she wasn’t equipped to handle fame via social media.