When it was announced that J.J. Abrams would cast an unknown for the role of Rey, lead female protagonist in the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a strange feeling came over Daisy Ridley.
"I got this really weird sense about it. I emailed my agent straight away and said, 'I need to audition!' Luckily for me, J.J. was searching far and wide to cast the role and I was one of the lucky people who managed to get an audition. And even though I felt my auditions weren't going well - in fact, I thought I'd ruined them - there was definitely a sense within me that something would come from it, even if not this role," she says.
After an exhaustive process comprising five auditions, she won the much-coveted lead role. Why?
"I suppose J.J. saw something in me," she says simply.
Two years later, this wide-eyed London-born actress is sitting at the Los Angeles Convention Centre doing her first round of press interviews. Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher will later join her. Her days of anonymity are numbered. Driving into Downtown LA, where we've arranged to meet, I observe the streets peppered with billboards on which she is front and centre. "Oh my God, it's insane," she grins, though she is unmistakably a little nervous.
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Ridley comes across as excitable, a little awkward and thoroughly likeable. What does she think of joining the ranks of fellow Star Wars icons like Princess Leia? "Oh, Princess Leia has been iconic for generations of women. It's very exciting for me to be a part of a wave of new, wonderful female roles who I think are relatable and have real importance in this story that The Force Awakens is telling."
After making a decision to pursue her career as an actress, Ridley soon appeared in small roles in such TV programmes as Youngers, Silent Witness, Mr. Selfridge and Casualty.
"I'd never been on a set for very long before Star Wars, and to spend that kind of time together with the other actors and then wrapping the movie was overwhelming for me, emotionally. Firstly, I didn't want to finish, and secondly, to me it was much more than shooting a film.
"And obviously, the journey's not over yet because the film hasn't come out, but it was a big moment for me to say goodbye to everyone."
Ridley didn't only form close relationships with her fellow castmates but completely bonded with her character. "Rey is a brave young woman, much braver than I am, but after playing her, she and I are now one and the same. She's aspirational for me as well as anyone else watching the film.
"Rey's parents left her when she was five years old and we meet her in her late teens, early twenties. She very much finds her place in a group of people and that's lovely," she says. "She encounters Finn (John Boyega) and they go off on an amazing adventure."
In some ways it's probably to Ridley's advantage that she wasn't well-versed in the Star Wars mythology.
"I seem to be one of the only people in the world whose family didn't have a big relationship to Star Wars. It wasn't like Gravity where you're learning scientific terms. This was really cool because the lingo is kind of made up but yet still means something. I tried to stay away from watching the films because I didn't want to feel like I had to fit into something. I just wanted to do a good job and was glad I didn't have such a vast knowledge of the franchise."
Of course, to many hardcore fans, the Star Wars franchise is practically a religious experience. Now that she's more aware of the enormity of the role, she acknowledges the enormity of her good fortune. "I know how lucky I am. I was definitely at the right place at the right time."
In the case of John Boyega, good things come to those who wait. "I went through seven months of back-to-back auditioning. The whole time they were dangling an opportunity in front of my face, saying, 'Oooh, you don't have it yet'," he laughs.
"I had chemistry reads with Daisy [Ridley], Oscar (Isaac) and finally I read with Chewbacca, with him in full costume," he recalls, enthusiastically. "That was a lot of fun."
Finally, Boyega was rewarded. "When I was told by J.J. [Abrams] and Larry Kasdan [screenwriter] that I had the part, my main feeling was just pure relief because it was such a long process for me. It was like, 'okay. Tonight I'm going to sleep well'. And I did."
Boyega's storyline is alongside fellow newcomers, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac. His character is named Finn, and yes he's a Stormtrooper who deserts. "Stormtroopers are no longer clones but are bred from birth to fight under the First Order. But Finn is not too sure of their policies and terms of conditions, so he escapes and meets Rey [Ridley] and Poe [Isaac]. They all kind of mesh together and go on a major adventure.
"And of course they cross paths with the older generation, Han Solo [Harrison Ford] and General Leia [Carrie Fisher] and that's how this adventure begins."
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Finn, he says, forms a father-son relationship with Han Solo: "I think what is so great about the movie is that Finn and Han's relationship mirrors mine and Harrison's. Basically, we're best friends. He wouldn't say that but we are close," he laughs. "And Finn doesn't have as much respect for his legacy as everyone else does and I think Han finds that charming.
"The banter is very choppy and the dialogue is funny." Boyega smiles. "And Chewie just enjoys the banter between these two, as well as the friction, but they definitely have each other's backs."
Clearly, Boyega refused to be intimidated by the legendary Ford. "I'd say to him, 'Harrison, are you my best friend?' And he'd say, 'No.' I'd ask, 'Why not?' And he'd say, 'Because I don't like you kid.'"
Boyega was born in London to Nigerian parents. His father is a preacher who hoped his son would follow in his footsteps, however, Boyega Jr. had other ideas. He developed a serious interest in acting during primary school and as an adult his plans never strayed from becoming an actor.
At age 23, his credits include the lead role in 2011's Attack the Block and he's also appeared in TV shows such as 24: Live Another Day and Law & Order: UK.
Being part of the Star Wars hype isn't having much effect on Boyega.
"I don't think about that stuff; it has no interest to me.
"And also, my family aren't big Star Wars fans at all. I mean, they're interested to see how the fans are and how the world is but mostly everyone is just chilled and just can't wait to go to the premiere to see the film."
Though he did worry about his hair when came to the merchandise.
He laughs. "I saw a couple of Legos and I was going to send an official email to them because I saw the hair." He shakes his head. "The hair looked permed. So, I was like, 'No man, it's an Afro. Make it right.' But I guess that was a prototype image I saw and as they got rid of the coif, I was like, 'Okay cool. Now he looks black'."
For Oscar Isaac, getting the role of Poe Dameron - aka The Black Leader of the Resistance - was relatively easy. After all, the 36-year-old is an experienced actor, having played the lead roles in Inside Llewyn Davis and the HBO drama Show Me a Hero. He's also had some experience acting alongside robots in Ex Machina. Come audition day, he nailed it.
"I did a couple of scenes with John [Boyega] and with Daisy [Ridley] and 20 minutes after I was back in my hotel room I found out I had the part. I played the Star Wars music and started dancing around in the room," he confesses, laughing. "I got very, very excited."
Recalling his first table read with the other actors, he says, "When we went to Pinewood Studios, everyone was sitting around in a circle and we had that iconic black and white photo on the box of R2D2. Then when we heard Anthony Daniels speak like C3PO for the first time, you could feel the gravity of it. For me, that moment was very moving."
Isaac has a deep connection with the franchise.
"As far as the Force, I think what sets it apart from the superhero or fantastical realm is that there's a deep spirituality within the stories. It's this idea of balance and there's access to something more than the material world. I think it's more akin to Lord of the Rings, which has this very literary aspect and a morality to it," he says. "Star Wars isn't just a film, it's a cultural phenomenon. It transcends race, religion, gender and age. It's amazing to be a part of that."
Isaac's Dameron has featured prominently in the film's trailers as the pilot of an X-Wing similar to the one Luke Skywalker used in the original film to destroy the Death Star.
"He's a little reckless but very committed to the cause. Part of his journey is finding out how to truly be a hero and a leader and finding his way, a common theme in these films. And particularly in The Force Awakens, which questions, 'How do you find your place within this world, or rather, this galaxy?'"
Earlier this year Isaac experienced his first taste of the Star Wars fanaticism. "I went to the Star Wars Celebration." He pauses, shaking his head. "For those Star Wars fans it was like a religious experience and they were worshipping the golden calf. It was wild; they were in pure ecstasy."
Until recently, Isaac was known for his roles in indie fare, though evidently, he has left that world behind for now.
"Even at this level it's a little embarrassing when I'm stopped in the airport or on the street. By nature I can be a little shy in those situations so it's not the most comfortable."
And his face is becoming part of the omnipresent Star Wars merchandising, some of which is a little too creative for Isaac. "Oh God, there are some weird things. I saw a beach chair and instead of my face being on the back of it, my face is on the seat! I thought that was an interesting placement," he laughs. "So people will be sitting on my face. I have to say, I haven't had a lot of luck with this merchandising so far. And I have to say, it's a little disrespectful," he jokes.
What: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
When and where: At cinemas from December 17
The latest entertainment news from NZ Herald Chief Lifestyle and Entertainment Reporter, Jenni Mortimer.