Before she was announced on Tuesday as the new female lead for Star Wars VII, Daisy Ridley was a virtual unknown.
And in a matter of hours the British actress has become the talk of the internet, with some savvy fans and critics speculating that she may in fact play the daughter of Han Solo and Princess Leia.
On Tuesday Disney and Lucasfilm confirmed on the official Star Wars website that the newcomer will be joining the famous original cast alongside Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill.
A black-and-white photo of the cast and crew was accompanied by the announcement with Ridley seated in-between Ford and Fisher.
Many fans thought the actress' positioning was conspicuous, indicating that she was set to play the daughter of Leia and Solo, as noted by Heavy.com.
Casting for the new film, which will be the first instalment since Disney took over the franchise from George Lucas, has been so secretive it has been compared to the plans for the Death Star.
Raising suspicion: Daisy was seated in-between Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher at a cast meeting at Pine Studios sparking rumours she is set to star as Princess Leia and Han Solo's daughter
Though it was reported on April 10 by The Hollywood Reporter that Maisie Richardson-Sellers could land the female lead in Star Wars VII, that role went to Ridley, a newcomer who has made mostly shorts films and popped up in only a few TV shows.
After the announcement was made, Ridley tweeted: 'Overwhelmed by all the support. This is the greatest day of my life. I'm told I can't say who I'm playing yet, but it's exciting!'
The casting of Ridley has generated the most fervour online, if only because she is a virtually unknown factor to be joining the beloved Star Wars universe.
One fan, under the Twitter handle Samantha Horley, wrote excitedly: 'An awful lot of people are currently Googling "Who the h** is Daisy Ridley?"'
While another Twitter user, Russ Fischer, wrote sardonically: 'Excited to read all your “Who is Daisy Ridley” think pieces, like the answer won’t be all, “uh, dunno."'
Many thought that Lupita Nyong'o was going to become the next Star Wars leading lady as Latino Review reported that she was reading for the role last month.
Confirmed: J.J Abrams, (15) at the cast read-through of Star Wars Episode VII at Pinewood Studios with (clockwise from right) Harrison Ford (1), Daisy Ridley (2), Carrie Fisher (3), Peter Mayhew (4), Producer Bryan Burk (5), Lucasfilm President and Producer Kathleen Kennedy (6), Domhnall Gleeson (7), Anthony Daniels (8), Mark Hamill (9), Andy Serkis (10), Oscar Isaac (11), John Boyega (12), Adam Driver (13) and Writer Lawrence Kasdan (14)
Nonethless, the coveted role is now Ridley's, whose previous list of credits is rather short with most notably a guest appearance on Mr Selfridge.
Other credits include brief stints on Toast Of London and Blue Season.
Relative newcomer: The actress pictured in one her few onscreen roles in 2013's Youngers
The up and comer, who's age is unknown, had a showreel on Vimeo but once the casting announcement was made it was soon taken down.
Ridley's rep Jonathan Arun is based in London and his official website says the actress' 'playing age' is 16 to 20.
Her profile page also goes on to tout that she is proficient in the following accents: 'Cockney, Dublin, London, Northern, RP:'
It also claims that her native dialects are London and RP.
In addition to her role in Star Wars VII she is set to have a 'good role' in the upcoming Inbetweeners film which began production earlier this year.
It has previously been reported that J.J. Abrams was planning to cast unknowns in the new film, following in the footsteps of George Lucas's 1977 cast.
And he partially fulfilled that promise by casting not only Ridley but newcomers John Boyega, Adam Driver, and Oscar Isaac.
Other new castmates include Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson and Max von Sydow.
Deadline reported that Harrison’s Han Solo character will be making far more than a cameo appearance and will in fact have a ‘gigantic’ role in the seventh episode.
OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF STAR WARS: EPISODE VII CAST
The Star Wars team is thrilled to announce the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII.
Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.
Director J.J. Abrams says, 'We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again. We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud.'
Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer.
Little else is known about the plot at this point, although Disney was said to be loosely using an original plot by Lucas, who is creative consulting, as an outline.
The movie will hit theaters on December 18, 2015. In March, Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger said the new project would begin filming in May and will be set 30 years after the events in 1983's Return of the Jedi.
It is expected that another big announcement regarding the movie will take place on May 4 – known to fans as Star Wars day.
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