Daisy Ridley suffered a bad case of nerves on Murder on the Orient Express set

Actress Daisy Ridley came down with a terrible attack of the shakes as the pressure of filming Murder On The Orient Express with a group of all-star castmates hit her hard.

Director Sir Kenneth Branagh's new take on Agatha Christie's classic 1934 murder mystery novel is the actress' first major film release since she shot to fame as Rey in 2015 sci-fi blockbuster Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and the stress living up to the hype in the thriller weighed heavily on her mind throughout the shoot.

"I mean, obviously, I had done only one thing," she tells USA Today. "I had to prove myself to be part of anything like this. So I was very happy to (audition). I know I'm a real newbie."

Daisy admits her nerves really got the better of her while preparing for a key scene as acting royalty Sir Kenneth, Dame Judi Dench and Sir Derek Jacobi looked on.

"I honestly had no room for jokes in my mind that day," she recalls. "I was so freaking nervous. My hands were fully shaking, I thought, 'I cannot do this in scene with everyone around'."

The rookie leading lady also felt awkward in between takes, as her legendary castmates, who also included Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer, talked shop with each other.

"I had nothing to offer," she shares. "I was just a lucky girl who got a lucky break. I mainly kept still."

Although she may have felt out of place, director Branagh, who also stars in Murder on the Orient Express, was impressed with Daisy's performance.

"She had this intelligence and a twinkle in her eye," he smiles.

Murder on the Orient Express, opens in the U.S. on 10 November (17).