Daisy Ridley hasn’t been taking it easy in her post-Star Wars career. Quite the contrary, she’s instead focused her energy on smaller genre projects, tackling action, thrillers, and horror with equal measure. But these aren’t throwaway roles she’s taking. Each film explores a genre from an unexpected perspective, exploring larger themes that resonate on multiple levels. Such is the case with Ridley’s latest film, We Bury the Dead, from Australian writer/director Zak Hilditch.
In We Bury the Dead, Ridley plays Ava, a desperate woman in Tasmania searching for her husband in the wake of a catastrophic event. In hopes of finding him alive, she joins a body retrieval unit and makes her way across the devastated landscape, only to find that some of the dead are returning to life.
Joining Ridley in the cast is Brenton Thwaites, best known for his role as Nightwing in DC’s Titans, as well as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. He plays Clay, whose reckless, cynical nature is the polar opposite to Ava, and yet this mismatched pair form an unexpected friendship.
I had the chance to speak with Daisy Ridley, Brenton Thwaites, and director Zak Hilditch about We Bury the Dead. I’ve spoken with Ridley three times over the last couple of years, so it was good to catch up with her once again and discuss the challenging roles she takes. Ridley also talked about how she came aboard this project, and of course, whether she prefers swinging an axe or a lightsaber!
Thwaites talked about Clay, why the character appealed to him, and the amount of fun he had on set with Ridley. Hilditch talked about the influences on We Bury the Dead and so much more.
We Bury the Dead is in theaters now. You can check out my review here, and the interviews below. Be sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, as well as the Cinema Royale podcast!
