Daisy Ridley Dishes on the ‘Brutal Action’ in Her Die Hard-Esque Film

Daisy Ridley’sDie Hard-like film is loaded with plenty of “brutal action,” according to the famed Star Wars actress. Director Martin Campbell’s upcoming action movie, Cleaner, is set in London, and 300 hostages are being held in the tallest skyscraper in all of Western Europe: the Shard. And it’s up to John McClane — wait, scratch that. No, it falls on the shoulders of a one-time soldier turned window washer (played by Ridley) to save the day, while suspended some 90 stories in the air. And while appearing at this year’s SXSW film festival, Ridley gave fans a glimpse into the aforementioned “brutal action” and the emotions attached. The actress said (per Slash Film):

“It’s very exciting. The action is brutal. I was rewatching all of Martin’s films as we went, and what a filmmaker. Amazing performances, always a lot of humor, and amazing action set pieces. So, I felt like all of the action is what people think of with Martin oftentimes but also, emotionally, it was wonderful working with him. Such a taskmaster.”

Ridley then commented on the numerous takes her director — Campbell also helmed the 007 entries GoldenEye and Casino Royale — demanded of her. The actress said in the same interview:

“Many, many, many, many takes. One of his notes was, ‘Didn’t feel it that time. Try again.’ One of the things he said to an actor was, ‘Fake!’ literally. It was amazing to work with someone who was so laser-focused on condition and togetherness, in amongst all of this fun action. Wonderful.”

Daisy Ridley Reveals ‘Everything Hurts’ After Filming Cleaner

Best known for portraying Rey Skywalker in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Daisy Ridley is trading in her lightsaber for some more realistic weaponry in Cleaner. MovieWeb spoke with the actor while she was filming it, and she said it felt like her “first action movie,” telling us:

“It’s interesting, because right now I’m doing what feels like — and it’s not because I haven’t done action in other films — but [Cleaner] feels to me like the first action movie I’ve done. And it’s really hard work, but it’s really fun because I f—ing love action movies. I love John Wick. I love car chases. I love fights. I love all of that. So, we’re starting a big fight sequence tomorrow that I’m very excited about.”

Ridley’s death-defying character dangles from the heights of the Shard and tangles with radical activists in the upcoming action film, but the actress wasn’t prepared for how badly her body would hurt from all the physicality involved in portraying the protagonist. Ridley said in the Slash Film interview:

Ridley’s coming off her excellent performance in Sometimes I Think About Dying, which played the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, and was released earlier this year. But Ridley’s character in Cleaner is a vastly different animal altogether. Ridley also said at the SXSW film festival:

“I play a window cleaner who is ex-army, knows how to use a gun. All of the useful things in an action film. I’m outside the building when a team of eco-activists storm the building, and I have to fight my way in, in tandem with the police outside, and try to find my brother, and try and save the people who have been taken hostage.”