The Sequel Trilogy of Star Wars wraps up with The Rise of Skywalker. It seemed like only a blink of an eye ago when The Force Awakens marked the return of the franchise to the silver screen. And soon, the actors and our favourite character pairings will go their separate ways. No more ReyLo. FinnPoe? Only in your fan fiction's headcanon dreams. If you're planning to spend more time with Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver and Oscar Isaac, you may want to venture outside the Star Wars universe.
John Boyega: Attack The Block (2011)
Attack The Block was the Boyega's first film role ever! He plays Moses, the teenage leader of a South London street gang, whose actions lead to an alien invasion in the neighbourhood. Attack The Block is a cult classic that's a blast from start to finish, effortlessly mashes up genres, and also has a distinctly British flavour that's been sorely missed from UK productions. And the highlight of it all is arguably Boyega's leading performance. Watching Boyega, it's hard to believe that this is his first film role. He breathes life into the character development of Moses, turning in a convincing transformation from a broody punk into a man who's ready to accept responsibility for his actions.
Daisy Ridley: Ophelia (2018)
She hasn't been working very long, so Daisy Ridley's filmography is a tad limited. Her best role by default is Ophelia in the creatively titled... Ophelia. A retelling of Denmark's favourite royalty-based tale, Hamlet, the movie is a young-adult retelling of the play from Ophelia's perspective. It's a reasonably ho-hum affair that chronicles Ophelia's rise from commoner to gaining the favour of Queen Gertrude, and the chaos that follows. The film isn't all that great, but the role of Ophelia is a meaty one for Ridley to chew into. With plenty of layers and texture to explore, from Ophelia's outsider status both as a woman and also as a commoner amongst royalty, Daisy Ridley delivers her best performance in her career so far.
Adam Driver: BlacKkKlansman (2018)
Unlike the first two actors on our list, Adam Driver and Oscar Isaac almost have too many noteworthy roles to go through. Let's start with Mr Kylo Ren himself. In Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman, Driver plays Flip Zimmerman, a Jewish detective who goes undercover and embeds himself in the Ku Klux Klan. It's a multi-dimensional performance within a performance and unnerving in so many ways. In the company of the Klan members, Driver spits hateful rhetoric at the drop of a hat to blend in. It seems too easy, so natural to him, which is a reminder to viewers of just how easy it can be to fall into such behaviour. It has all the traits of a typically excellent Adam Driver performance: measured, understated, yet somehow a show-stealer.
Oscar Isaac: Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Directed by the Coen Brothers, Oscar Isaac plays Llewyn Davis, a fictional musician in the 1960s folk music scene in New York City's Greenwich Village. Davis' life is miserable. He continually needs a place to crash. He's talented, but life and his decision-making often get in the way. In all honesty, without Isaac's compelling performance as Davis, you would probably not watch this movie at all as the main character may come across as a loser. However, despite all the bad news and sad tragedies that seem to have defined Davis' life, Isaac injects just enough joy, just enough inspiration to trudge on… just like the many artists that are committed to their craft no matter what. Plus, Oscar Isaac actually sings live on almost every track in the movie, and the soundtrack's gentle melodies easily make for one of the best earworms produced this decade.
