The kiss between Rey Skywalker and Ben Solo/Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has been controversial from the moment it happened, but Daisy Ridley's description of this kiss has never made sense. The Star Wars sequel trilogy remains a point of tension, and many in the fanbase consider all three to be among Star Wars' worst movies (The Rise of Skywalker in particular). Ben Solo and Rey sharing a kiss at the end of The Rise of Skywalker only made matters worse for many, and Lucasfilm has seemingly struggled to deal with that response.
During an interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast, posted on YouTube by Josh Horowitz, Rey Skywalker actress Daisy Ridley shared her view on the kiss. In keeping with Lucasfilm's explanation of the kiss in recent years, in Ridley's view, she explained, the kiss was not romantic in nature:
"It felt earned. And what was interesting again, I think it's like intentionality. My feeling in that moment was it was a goodbye, so that felt earned. Because, I mean, you can call a kiss a thousand things, but I felt like it was a goodbye. And that whole scene felt so emotional, and I felt like I was saying goodbye to the job."
Even in light of Ridley's view on the kiss between Kylo Ren/Ben Solo and Rey, though, the notion that there was nothing romantic about this kiss has never made sense.
Star Wars Is Weirdly Reluctant To Confirm Rey & Kylo Ren Were Romantic
Star Wars Has Backpedaled As Much As Possible When It Comes To This Kiss
No doubt for myriad reasons, Lucasfilm has been overtly hesitant to confirm that there was anything romantic about Rey and Kylo Ren's relationship. What makes this particularly odd is that, long before the kiss in The Rise of Skywalker, everyone who was truly paying attention picked up on the undertones of their interactions. The very first time Kylo Ren met Rey, in fact, he caught her and carried her bridal style back to his ship—a far cry from having Poe Dameron dragged onto his ship by stormtroopers.
The contrast between Kylo's treatment of Poe and his treatment of Rey only continued to be glaringly obvious, given Poe was held in a dark room and was tortured to the point of bleeding, while Rey woke up in a well-lit room with Kylo Ren watching her. This was ultimately when Kylo Ren first revealed his face, as well, which Rey was notably caught off guard by. This response to Kylo's face is also similar to Rey's response when Kylo Ren was shirtless in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, yet another indication of her feelings.
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The Force Dyad may also be one of Star Wars' Force abilities, but the connections Kylo and Rey shared through the Dyad also became increasingly romantic, culminating in them touching hands through the Force while Rey was in the hut on Ahch-To. This leads Rey to go to Kylo Ren, and the two share a moment in the elevator in which they seem close to kissing. All of this to say, there were countless signs long before The Rise of Skywalker that both Rey and Kylo Ren had romantic feelings for one another.
There were countless signs long before The Rise of Skywalker that both Rey and Kylo Ren had romantic feelings for one another.
Seriously, There's Nothing Wrong With The Enemies-To-Lovers Trope
If the romantic nature of Kylo Ren and Rey's interactions throughout the sequel trilogy weren't enough to prove they had feelings for one another, the fact that Daisy Ridley's explanation of the kiss makes no sense should be. In her explanation, Ridley refers to the kiss as "a goodbye." Yet, it's abundantly clear that Rey was bewildered when she saw Kylo Ren/Ben Solo fall backward and disappear into the Force. Rey had no idea Ben was about to die, so how could the kiss have possibly been a goodbye?
Rey had no idea Ben was about to die, so how could the kiss have possibly been a goodbye?
Even the Rise of Skywalker novelization, written by Rae Carson, refers to it as a "kiss of gratitude." All of this suggests that, for whatever reason, Lucasfilm is extremely resistant to confirming anything romantic between Ben and Rey, but the reason remains unclear. There is nothing wrong with Star Wars depicting an enemies-to-lovers story, whatever the outcome, and it would hardly be the most problematic romantic kiss—Luke and Leia win that title.
Purchase the Rise of Skywalker novelization on Amazon
Unfortunately, Star Wars doesn't seem likely to change its tune anytime soon. Ridley, Lucasfilm, and any future Star Wars projects set after the sequel trilogy will presumably maintain this explanation. Nevertheless, viewers' eyes don't deceive them. There was surely more to that kiss between Rey Skywalker and Kylo Ren/Ben Solo than Star Wars would have everyone believe.
Source: Josh Horowitz
English (US) ·