Daisy Ridley Talks "Horrific" Death Of Carrie Fisher

Actress Daisy Ridley said at the British Academy Of Film And Television Arts Awards (BAFTA) on February 12 that the death of Star Wars icon Carrie Fisher was "devastating" for the cast and crew of the latest Star Wars film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Fisher died at age 60 on Dec. 27, 2016 after suffering a cardiac arrest on a flight from London back to the United States. She had been in London doing some filming for Catastrophe, a British sitcom she'd been appearing in, and was on her way back with plans to spend the holidays with her family.

There had been much concern following Fisher's death about how her role would be dealt with in the upcoming Star Wars film, until it was reported that she had finished filming all her scenes for Episode VIII, now entitled The Last Jedi. Reports still indicate there are no plans to digitize her for Episode IX - a concern following her digitized appearance in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Ridley acknowledged that the loss of Fisher was certainly felt throughout the entertainment industry, but took some solace in the fact that we could enjoy much of her work, either through venues like Netflix or through her written work like The Princess Diarist and Postcards From The Edge.

“I think everything, the kind of legacy she left," Ridley said. "She’s gone too soon, but we can see everything that she did do, and kind of have joy in that.”

The Last Jedi marks Fisher's last appearance in a film, though the cast of Catastrophe just marked a somber day with Fisher's last episode having aired. Sharon Horgan, who stars in and co-created the show with Rob Delaney, admitted that it's still too painful to consider how to deal with Mia, the character that Fisher played.

"It's a bit hard to think about yet," she said. "I hope time will pass and we'll think of a fitting finish to that story."

For her part, Ridley said that the cast and crew had yet to reunite in the aftermath of Fisher's tragic death, but added that there had been conversations among them in order to deal with the loss.

"I haven’t seen anyone since," she admitted. "There have been conversations and things like that, but we haven’t kind of like been together. So that will be interesting, and sad, but also wonderful celebrating her life.”

To be sure, the loss of Fisher has been a serious blow to the Star Wars family. Her work will certainly continue to thrive, thanks to the work she's done in scenes like the one from #TheForceAwakens, where General Leia Organa (Fisher) reunites with her former flame, Han Solo (Harrison Ford)