Mark Marcus
actressocean.com – Daisy Ridley movies and TV shows are a lot more interesting than the “Rey from Star Wars” label suggests, because her career has kept moving into mystery, indie drama, voice work, and prestige TV-friendly storytelling. If you also want the backstory, the Daisy Ridley biography and filmography screen credits pages sit nicely beside this guide.
⚡ Quick Answer
Daisy Ridley movies and TV shows go far beyond Star Wars: after playing Rey, she moved into mystery, period drama, voice roles, and indie thrillers. Her biggest credit is still Rey, but films like Murder on the Orient Express, Chaos Walking, and Young Woman and the Sea show a wider range.
Why Daisy Ridley Movies and TV Shows Are Worth Exploring Beyond Rey
Daisy Ridley’s filmography is worth your time because the post-Star Wars work proves she can carry a story without leaning on the biggest franchise in modern pop culture. Her credits stretch from Murder on the Orient Express and Ophelia to Chaos Walking and Young Woman and the Sea, which is a much better picture of her range than any single blockbuster ever could.
Here is the first answer most people actually want: Daisy Ridley movies and TV shows matter because they show an actor who kept taking risks after a career-making role instead of repeating herself. If you only know her as Rey, you are missing the quieter work where she plays grief, restraint, uncertainty, and resolve without the lightsaber doing any of the heavy lifting.
One thing nobody tells you is how often franchise stars get flattened into a single image. I have seen people dismiss Ridley as “just Star Wars,” then get completely pulled in by how controlled she is in a smaller role like Ophelia. Sound familiar? That is usually the moment the conversation changes, because the performance does not need a galaxy to land.
The biggest clue that her career is still expanding is simple: Lucasfilm announced in 2023 that one of three new Star Wars films would bring Daisy Ridley back as Rey after The Rise of Skywalker. That does not erase the rest of her work; it actually makes the non-Star Wars projects more interesting, because they show what she can do while the franchise keeps its own timeline open.
💡 Key Takeaway: Daisy Ridley’s appeal is not that she escaped Star Wars; it is that she built a real filmography around it. That is what separates a breakout from a one-note career.
How Did Daisy Ridley Go From Unknown Actress to Global Star?
Daisy Ridley went from small-screen and short-film work to global recognition because Star Wars gave her a massive launchpad, but her early credits show she already knew how to work in compact, character-first roles. IMDb lists early projects like Blue Season, Lifesaver, 100% Beef, Crossed Wires, Under, and Scrawl before the Star Wars breakthrough.
Early auditions, short films, and the break that changed everything
The real pattern in Daisy Ridley movies and TV shows is that her early work looks small on paper but useful in practice. Short films and guest roles teach timing fast, because you do not get extra screen time to explain yourself. It is a little like learning to cook in a tiny apartment kitchen: no room for clutter, no room for wasted motion.
Here is the part that matters for readers who like career timelines. Ridley’s best-known role did not come from a slow, obvious climb through lead parts; it came from being ready when a huge opportunity appeared. IMDb identifies her breakout on-screen era through Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and StarWars.com later confirmed that Rey would return in a new film announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
| Early screen phase | Example credits | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Short-form beginnings | Blue Season, Lifesaver, 100% Beef, Crossed Wires | She built reps before fame arrived. |
| Early feature work | Under, The Quiet Ones, Scrawl | She had already moved into darker material before the breakout. |
| Franchise breakthrough | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | This is the role that changed the scale of everything. |
Complete Daisy Ridley Filmography by Release Year
Daisy Ridley’s filmography is easier to understand when you look at it in order, because you can see the shift from early indie and short-form work into franchise leadership, then into post-Star Wars experimentation. IMDb’s credit list and Disney’s Young Woman and the Sea page make that progression very clear.
| Year | Title | Role / type | Why it matters |
| 2013–2015 | Blue Season, Lifesaver, Under, Scrawl | early shorts / supporting parts | Shows the pre-fame grind. |
| 2015 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | Rey | The breakout that made her globally known. |
| 2016 | The Eagle Huntress, Only Yesterday | narrator / voice | Proof that she could do more than one screen mode. |
| 2017 | Murder on the Orient Express, Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Mary Debenham / Rey | The first strong signal that she could carry non-franchise work. |
| 2018 | Ophelia, Peter Rabbit | Ophelia / voice | Period drama and family-friendly voice work in the same year. |
| 2019 | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | Rey | Closed the first major Rey chapter. |
| 2021 | Chaos Walking, Twelve Minutes | Viola Eade / voice performance | Science-fiction and interactive voice work. |
| 2023 | Sometimes I Think About Dying, The Marsh King’s Daughter | lead roles | The post-franchise stretch got more serious and more adult. |
| 2024 | Young Woman and the Sea | Gertrude Ederle | A big prestige swing for Disney. |
Television and voice work are easy to miss
Daisy Ridley movies and TV shows are often discussed as if her career is only about films, but that misses the TV-adjacent and voice side of the ledger. StarWars.com notes that she also voiced Rey in Star Wars Forces of Destiny, which matters because it shows she was part of the franchise’s storytelling beyond the theatrical releases.
Which Daisy Ridley Movies Are Actually Worth Watching First?
The best starting point is not the same for everyone, but if you want the clearest picture of Daisy Ridley movies and TV shows, start with Murder on the Orient Express if you like ensemble mystery, or Young Woman and the Sea if you want the strongest pure lead performance outside Star Wars. Both show more than Rey ever could.
Here is the simple comparison: Murder on the Orient Express is the better first watch for people who want polished supporting work, while Young Woman and the Sea is the better first watch for anyone who wants to see Ridley carry a full movie on her own. If you ask me, the second one is the more impressive pick.
Not gonna lie, the “best” Daisy Ridley title depends on what you want from her. For Star Wars fans, The Force Awakens is the obvious entry point. For everyone else, Ophelia and Sometimes I Think About Dying are the low-key best place to see how she handles stillness, which is harder than it looks.
💡 Key Takeaway: If you only have time for two titles, choose Young Woman and the Sea for the lead performance and Murder on the Orient Express for the supporting-role range. That pairing tells you almost everything useful about where her career has gone so far.
That first stretch of Daisy Ridley movies and TV shows makes the rest of her career easier to read, because the post-Star Wars work keeps proving she is more than one character. If you want the fuller timeline, the Daisy Ridley career milestones page and Daisy Ridley biography are the best companion pieces to this guide.
What Movies Did Daisy Ridley Play in After Star Wars?
Daisy Ridley’s post-Star Wars filmography includes Murder on the Orient Express, Ophelia, Chaos Walking, Sometimes I Think About Dying, The Marsh King’s Daughter, and Young Woman and the Sea, and that six-film run is the clearest proof that her career never stopped at Rey.
The pattern is simple: Daisy Ridley movies and TV shows after Star Wars lean into mystery, period drama, sci-fi, indie character work, and prestige sports drama rather than franchise repetition. That matters because it tells you what kind of actor she is when the lightsaber is gone and the script has to do the talking.
Here is the part that tends to surprise people. Ridley did not spend the years after The Rise of Skywalker chasing only obvious blockbusters; she mixed theatrical features with voice work and smaller, stranger choices, which is often where actors show the most range. IMDb’s credit trail makes that easy to see.
| Title | What it shows | Why it belongs on your watchlist |
|---|---|---|
| Murder on the Orient Express | polished ensemble control | She holds her own beside a stacked cast. |
| Ophelia | period-drama poise | It is one of the best tests of her stillness. |
| Chaos Walking | sci-fi lead work | Not perfect, but useful for seeing her in a bigger genre swing. |
| Sometimes I Think About Dying | quiet indie texture | This is the kind of role that rewards close attention. |
| Young Woman and the Sea | full lead performance | Disney’s official page frames her as the star of a true-story sports drama. |
If you are building a watchlist, the smart move is to start with the roles that show contrast, not just popularity. That is why the filmography and screen credits page and the broader movies and TV shows page work so well together: one gives you the list, the other gives you the order that actually makes sense.
How Has Daisy Ridley Changed as an Actress Since Star Wars?
Daisy Ridley has become more interesting after Star Wars because she now plays against scale instead of relying on it. In the early blockbuster years, Rey was defined by momentum and myth; in later projects, Ridley has leaned into restraint, uncertainty, and emotional pause, which are much harder to fake.
What nobody tells you is that “versatile” does not always mean flashy. Sometimes it means you can make a scene feel lived-in without pushing too hard, and Ridley’s smaller post-Star Wars roles show exactly that. Think of it like adjusting seasoning in a recipe: a little too much and you taste the technique; just enough and you taste the whole dish.
The best evidence is Young Woman and the Sea, where Disney says she stars as Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle in the story of the swimmer born in New York City in 1905. That kind of role asks for stamina, clarity, and a very specific emotional rhythm, which is a different job from playing a galaxy-saving hero.
💡 Key Takeaway: Ridley’s career after Star Wars works because she keeps choosing roles that reveal texture, not just visibility. That is a better long game than chasing another copy of the same breakout.
How to Watch Daisy Ridley’s Career in the Best Order
The best Daisy Ridley movies and TV shows watch order is: start with The Force Awakens, then jump to Murder on the Orient Express, Ophelia, Sometimes I Think About Dying, and Young Woman and the Sea. That five-title route gives you the clearest read on how she moved from franchise discovery to genuine range.
- Start with Star Wars: The Force Awakens so you understand why Rey became the defining role of her career.
- Watch Murder on the Orient Express next to see how she handles an ensemble without needing to dominate every scene.
- Move to Ophelia to catch her in a quieter, more controlled performance that rewards patience.
- Add Sometimes I Think About Dying for a more offbeat, introspective version of Ridley.
- Finish with Young Woman and the Sea because it shows her carrying a film from beginning to end with real physical and emotional discipline.
Fair warning: the order matters more than people think. Watching the smaller roles after the blockbuster makes her choices look deliberate instead of random, and that is where her post-Star Wars career starts to make real sense.
What Daisy Ridley Movies and TV Shows Tell You About Her Range
Daisy Ridley’s range is broad enough that she can move from franchise hero to period drama lead without sounding like she is switching careers. That is why the actress profiles section on your site pairs well with this page: the career story is really about choices, not just credits.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Daisy Ridley’s most famous role?
Daisy Ridley’s most famous role is still Rey in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and that is the credit that made her globally recognizable. IMDb lists Rey as her signature role, and Lucasfilm’s 2023 announcement confirmed that the character will return in a new film, which tells you how central Rey remains to her public identity.
What is Daisy Ridley diagnosed with?
Daisy Ridley said she was diagnosed with Graves’ disease in 2023, and coverage from outlets like People and ABC noted that she described symptoms including fatigue, hot flashes, weight loss, and a racing heart rate. According to the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disorder that can cause hyperthyroidism.
What movies did Daisy Ridley play in after Star Wars?
After Star Wars, Daisy Ridley appeared in films including Murder on the Orient Express, Ophelia, Chaos Walking, Sometimes I Think About Dying, The Marsh King’s Daughter, and Young Woman and the Sea. If you want the fastest path through her post-Star Wars work, start with those six titles and you will get the clearest picture of her range in about one weekend.
Was Daisy Ridley in Harry Potter?
Short answer: no. But here’s the nuance—Daisy Ridley has no credited role in the Harry Potter films or the Fantastic Beasts series, so the mix-up is just a case of fans lumping together a few British actresses from the same era. IMDb’s filmography does not list any Harry Potter credit for her.
Before You Go
The smartest way to read Daisy Ridley movies and TV shows is to stop treating her as a single-role actress and start treating her as someone who kept building after the biggest launch imaginable. That shift changes the whole story, because it turns her career into a real filmography instead of a franchise footnote. Tell me which Daisy Ridley role surprised you most or share the one you think more people should watch.
