Cool Videos: Daisy Ridley deadlifts like a boss; offers up words to inspire

January 13th 2016, 1:36pm

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Admittedly, this is a little different than most of the Cool Videos we post on this site, but I feel it's one worth acknowledging. First off, this video is 4 months old. What you can see below is Daisy Ridley deadlifting 176 pounds, and saying a few words of encouragement for everyone regarding physical fitness.

Hindsight is 20/20 of course and now that STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS is out, we can see that Rey is easily the most influential film character of 2015. Now, you can throw out all that stuff about finally having a great leading actor in a STAR WARS film again, or having a woman take center stage in a big-budget film . . . Rey is just a great character, period. The cool thing about STAR WARS films is that they're able to boil things down to a more pure and simplistic state. Good versus evil. Right over wrong. The depth is there, but it's the classic story of a hero's journey that really makes THE FORCE AWAKENS compelling. Daisy Ridley is responsible for bringing such an inspiring character to life, and it's great to see her enthusiasm carry over to everything she does off-screen.

I don't know if #fitnessfriday is a thing(?!) but HERE'S MINE! Lifting 80 kilos/176 pounds feeling like an absolute boss. 😏😏😏 Initially I had to pack on some muscle to look like a desert scavenger, but have continued working out because it makes me feel really good. The female form is beautiful in all shapes and sizes, whether that's athletic, straight up straight down or curvy; you just have to do what makes you feel good, try not compare yourself to other people and LOVE YOURSELF!!! As it stands I'm of the athletic variety so I'm gonna keep pumping those weights 😄😄😄 #girlswholift

A video posted by @daisyridley on Aug 21, 2015 at 9:20am PDT

For anyone curious, her Instagram is filled with all sorts of cool pictures and videos, and much like John Boyega or Oscar Isaac, her enthusiasm and love for everything STAR WARS is a breath of fresh air. It's hard to forget the fact that Disney is such a HUGE company and that filmmaking is a business, but behind all that are a lot of real people trying to make something worthwhile. If at the end of the day they're able to ignite a fire within you, rekindle your love for something or inspire you to be a certain way, then that's how you know they've made something great.