Star Wars: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and other cast members discuss The Force Awakens

Actors from the new Star Wars film having been talking about their characters, ahead of the film's release on 17 December. Directed by JJ Abrams, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is expected to be one of the biggest films of all time, and has been the subject of intense speculation and anticipation for months now.

Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey, said, "[She] is just a young woman and she's just a scavenger just kind of living a mundane life, she works to eat and she works to eat and that's really all there is. There's no emotional support around her. There's no-one broadening her horizons and then she meets Finn and they go on this incredible adventure".

English actor John Boyega plays Finn, who along with Rey are the main characters in the seventh film in the franchise.

"Finn is a Stormtrooper and I know there's a lot of speculation, but he's just a Stormtrooper and he's someone who fights under The First Order. The First Order has obviously risen from the ashes of the Empire and wants to find a different path. He is in constant conflict within himself," Boyega said.

Harrison Ford, Mark Hammill and Carrie Fisher are reprising their roles of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia is the new release.

There are new faces on the dark side too, with Girls star Adam Driver playing the villainous Kylo Ren.

"There's something familiar about his costume that seems to be an homage to Darth Vader, but how he behaves is maybe more unrefined and less in control than probably what people associate with the dark side, I'd say. I don't think he's evil at all. I think that he is right."

Other cast members include Oscar Issac, Andy Serkis and Domhall Gleeson.