Daisy Ridley starring in virtual reality experience Trailblazer
Daisy Ridley has been cast as female motoring pioneer Bertha Benz in the virtual reality experience 'Trailblazer' and will be involved as an executive producer when it is adapted into a feature film.
Daisy Ridley is to star in the virtual reality experience 'Trailblazer'.
The 32-year-old actress will play Bertha Benz – the wife of the Motorwagen inventor Karl Benz – in the story and will serve as an executive producer when it is made into a feature film.
The VR experience will be directed by Eloise Singer and tells the story of how Bertha embarked on the world's first road trip in 1888, showcasing the car to a sceptical public and press and ultimately making history by paving the way for innovation.
Ridley will join Singer and Lesley Paterson as executive producers when 'Trailblazer' is made into a film and graphic novel series.
She said: "Bertha's determination and courage are incredibly inspiring.
"It's been such a privilege to step into her world and help tell her story. I hope audiences are as moved by her journey as I was while working on the project."
Singer told The Hollywood Reporter: "Bertha's journey is a powerful example of courage and ingenuity, yet it's largely overlooked in history.
"I was drawn to her determination – not only to challenge societal norms but also to prove the potential of an extraordinary invention.
"'Trailblazer' reveals how one person's tenacity and willingness to defy expectations helped shape the future. I hope this story inspires others to trust their instincts and take risks, even in the face of doubt."
Paterson added: "As a woman who has overcome so many obstacles in my life and been a trailblazer of my own in many ways, I couldn't help but be drawn to this incredible story.
"Not only that but to be a part of such a powerhouse female led team doing it, I had no choice but to come aboard."
'Trailblazer' will be released on Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3 on March 7.
Ridley will be reprising her role as Rey in the upcoming 'Star Wars' flick 'New Jedi Order' and admits that she is nervous about the prospect of playing the character once again.
She told The Hollywood Reporter last year: "I feel like the new one/new ones will be so interesting. Time has passed and a lot has changed for me, personally, so it’ll be interesting to come back to someone who I know so well, but in such a different moment. For me to inhabit Rey again after all the time that we haven’t seen her, it’s actually scary, but it’s also exciting."
The 'Magpie' actress also revealed how "trippy" it was when she came face to face with a costumed cast member who was playing Rey at Disneyland.
She said: "It was really trippy when I finally met 'myself'. I had been on the Rise of the Resistance ride for the first time, and I was like, 'This is insane!' I remember filming [Rey’s holographic introduction], and that ride is unbelievable. I then went and met the person that was inhabiting Rey, and I had been told that the [costumed cast members] study the performances in the films.
"So the woman I met had studied me, and that was really strange. Watching someone who has studied me, play me, that was meta, but she did an amazing job. She also didn’t break character. But, no, I don’t think I will ever get used to things like that."
