Daisy Ridley opens up on isolating herself after being cast in 'Star Wars' due to severe anxiety

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Daisy Ridley shared the profound impact her role as Rey in the latest 'Star Wars' trilogy had on her mental health.

She opened up about how her life dramatically changed after director JJ Abrams offered her the iconic role a decade ago and the severity of her anxiety after being part of the franchise, according to People.

Daisy Ridley admits being cast in 'Star Wars' took a toll on her

The 31-year-old actress recalled her conversation with Abrams after being cast as the 57-year-old director told her, "Understand the scale. This is not a role in a movie."

"This is a religion for people. It changes things on a level that is inconceivable," he added.

Ridley spoke to Inverse about her mental state during the filming as she said, "When all of the craziness was going on, I was like, ‘I’m good. I’m good. I’m coping fine. Everything’s fine.’ And I was fine, for the most part."

"But I think what I was really grappling with was that it was my normal, but it was not normal to other people," she continued.

She further admitted that the projection of others' expectations onto her.

"For friends and family, or any people who see something in a slightly different way than you do, there’s this projection of you, and you in that world, and how it feels to do this and that," Ridley explained.

"And you’re like, ‘Well, actually, I’m just a human being, separate from that.’ It’s quite this wrestle, of the reality and the fantasy that’s often projected onto you," she added.

Daisy Ridley lives with endometriosis and PCOS

The 'Chaos Walking' actress' endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) exacerbated her anxiety and stress which she had to deal with throughout the 'Star Wars' sequels.

Ridley's anxiety became so severe by the time 'The Last Jedi' premiered in 2017  that she developed "holes in her stomach wall," which forced her to take a six-month sabbatical before she joined the set for the trilogy finale, 'The Rise of Skywalker.'

"After the last Star Wars came out and everything was quiet, I was like, ‘What the f**k?’ I was grieving,” the British actress told the outlet.

She noted that the Covid-19 pandemic provided her with time for self-reflection and self-care, helping her address her anxiety issues.

“Having to sit and just be still in lockdown was incredibly helpful, in a way I hadn’t anticipated. I realized there was a lot that I hadn’t processed properly," she said.