Disneyland is a place where all are welcome, including celebrities themselves. Daisy Ridley is the latest actor to visit the “Happiest Place on Earth” and even took time out of her busy trip to share some highlights from Disneyland attractions with her followers. While the internet is busy freaking out about her visiting Galaxy’s Edge given her connection playing Rey, the best moment from her recent trip actually has nothing to do with Star Wars.
After spending time in Disneyland, Ridley hopped across the esplanade and entered Disney’s California Adventure where she was welcomed by a very familiar song. At the end of Buena Vista Street, the Five & Dime jazz band was playing an important song from Ridley’s newest film Young Woman and the Sea. The clip was originally shared on the actress’s Instagram stories and was reposted by @Scavenger_Jakku on X (formally known as Twitter). Take a listen:
Queen Daisy Ridley via IG stories post #DaisyRidley pic.twitter.com/EUmzroUbCBJune 21, 2024
Unfortunately, Young Woman and the Sea has only been released in a limited amount of theaters, so it’s likely not many are aware of how special “Ain’t We Got Fun” is to Ridley and her character Truly. But it’s very important. It’s featured several times, including in a memorable scene where Ridley plays the song endlessly on the ukulele until her father agrees to let her learn how to swim.
Getting to hear the song live, I’m sure, was a surreal experience, but it would have been even more iconic if Ridley had joined the jazz band on stage. That would certainly get people talking about Young Woman and the Sea and maybe even get them to catch the film, which centers on the first woman to ever swim across the English Channel, before it leaves theaters and ends up on a streaming service.
Of course, Ridley also had some iconic Star Wars moments while visiting Walt Disney's original theme park. She kicked things off with a video of herself waiting in the queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. In the short video, the actress can be seen waiting in the room where guests are prepped for their mission. All of a sudden, a Ray hologram appears, and Ridley slowly turns to the camera with the biggest smile on her face.
The Force Awakens actress is obviously familiar with the lines Rey says, having filmed the hard scenes herself for the ride but judging by her excitement, this was the first time she got to experience the hologram in real life. It’s an incredible moment for any Star Wars fans so I can only imagine how thrilling it must have been for her.
As if getting to see herself in one of the best Disneyland attractions of all time isn’t cool enough, Ridley also got to interact with some beloved characters, including herself. In a second photo, the actress can be seen chatting with the Rey and Chewbacca costumed cast member who roams around Galaxy’s Edge.
Oh, to be a fly on the wall during that conversation! What makes the experience even better is that it didn’t happen backstage, meaning the interaction wasn’t staged. She was just in the right place at the right time since Rey and Chewbacca roam around the immersive theme park land at random hours of the day. Here’s hoping we’ll get a real-life Rey and Chewy moment in the upcoming Star Wars movie, in which Ridley will be reprising her role.
Ridley has been open about her emotional reaction to seeing herself as Rey for the first time, so I’m sure a tear or two was shed during the wholesome interaction. After all, it’s not every day an actor gets to interact with the character they’ve dedicated years of their life to bring to life on screen or hear a pivotal song from their film in the theme park.
You can catch Young Woman and the Sea in select theaters now and stream all the best Star Wars movies with an active Disney+ subscription.
