Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley closed her Instagram page in 2016 following backlash from the fanbase, and after more than 4 years, she still has no intention of returning to social media platforms.
Stars of the galaxy far, far away have a long history of being bullied on the internet. Take Ahmed Best or Hayden Christensen, for instance, who had to bear through many years of harassment and scrutiny because folks simply didn’t like their characters, until very recently when they warmed up to the possibility that the prequels may not be as bad as they made them out to be. This repulsive tradition continued into Disney’s era and the sequels as well. But this time around, Daisy Ridley and Kelly Marie Tran took the bulk of it.
In the case of the Rey actress, though, things really started to go south when she addressed the issue of gun violence in 2016. Fans and casual audiences alike were quick to respond, as you’d imagine, and the criticism was harsh, to say the least. This all compelled Ridley to delete her Instagram account. The Ophelia star had previously explained the decision as spontaneous, though it appears that she has no intention to return to social media, and for good reason, too. Speaking to the Spanish magazine S Moda, Ridley said:
“I have managed to separate my personal life well from my professional life, partly probably because I’m not on social media. The statistics that link them (social media sites) to anxiety are terrifying. I have friends completely addicted to their phone who have suffered with this problem.”
The British actress also clearly stated that despite the temptation being there, she’ll definitely steer clear of it for the time being.
“I don’t want to go back, but sometimes I think about it,” she continued. “But the truth is that no, I won’t be returning.”
Whether you agree with Daisy Ridley or not, there’s no denying that studies have established that long exposure to social media platforms will have an adverse effect on the mental well-being of people. And who better to testify to that than the main star of the Mouse House’s divisive Sequel Trilogy?
