Star Wars star’s quiet trip to Oz

You probably missed it, but not too long ago the Force slipped into Australia, enjoyed sipping coffees near the St Kilda Pier in Melbourne and dabbled in a bit of yoga.

Daisy Ridley, the 25-year-old London-born star of the new Star Wars films, has had her face emblazoned on billboards and merchandise but managed to sneak into Australia and visit her sister Poppy.

Anonymity is rare for Ridley since she was cast as Rey in the 2015 reboot of the franchise, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, playing a scavenger who teams up with stormtrooper deserter Finn, Han Solo, Chewbacca and becoming the Resistance’s great hope against the evil First Order.

“Austrayaaaa!” Ridley jokingly shouts when she meets AAP in Los Angeles. The actor is in a playful mood and keen to talk about the ultrasecretive Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

The Force Awakens ended on a cliffhanger — with Rey tracking down the great jedi Luke Skywalker on the planet Ahch-To.

Ridley says Rey and Skywalker, played by the franchise’s original star Mark Hamill, will spend some time on the island in The Last Jedi, with Rey dealing with the trauma she endured in Force Awakens.

“Luke is not such a welcoming host as she might have expected so she has time to work things out,” Ridley says. “I think what [director] Rian [Johnson] has done brilliantly is he has explored all of the characters on a really deep level.”

Ridley has attempted to maintain a normal life, whether it is riding the Tube in London or flying into Melbourne without an entourage.

“It was just great to go to Australia because it was wonderful to have the time with my sister and see how she lives. We’d have breakfast and then go for a wander and she would show me her favourite restaurants and do some yoga.”