Carrie Fisher Really Thought She’d Be Fired From ‘Star Wars’ Because Of Her Feelings Of Inadequacy
Carrie Fisher did a legendary job in giving life to the role of Princess Leia in Star Wars, but the actress once thought that she would be axed from the franchise. Carrie was only 19 when she joined the franchise and because of her young age, she admitted to having feelings of inadequacy. She told SFX Magazine via Games Radar that she was terrified that the producers would come to their senses.
“When I got the part they told me I had to lose 15 pounds so I thought I’d better lose that or they’ll fire me! I kept thinking they would realise they’d made a mistake so I kept very quiet, which, if you know me is unbelievable!”
Princess Leia’s hairstyle also became iconic but Carrie said that she agreed to have the buns because again, she was afraid to lose the job. When filmmaker George Lucas told her about the “awful hairstyle,” she said that it’s “fantastic.” “So that’s why that [hairstyle] exists. I did whatever they said as I kept thinking they’d realise what they’d done and fire me,” she recalled.
In the same interview, the actress said that she initially wanted another Star Wars role.
“I remember I read the script out loud with a friend of mine, Miguel Ferrer. It read fantastic. We both wanted to play the part of Han Solo because that was the best part. I couldn’t imagine how they were going to pull it off [but] I definitely wanted to be in it given that they had a chance at pulling it off.”
Carrie and mom Debbie Reynolds were buried together in Los Angeles. The When Harry Met Sally actress went to cardiac arrest while on her flight from London to Los Angeles. Due to the help of two passengers, Carrie managed to make it to a hospital where she died a few days later. The family reportedly wants to track down the passengers to thank them because it’s through their effort that the family had a few days to say goodbye to Carrie.
Debbie died a day later. The family decided to have a joint funeral for the two to honor their closeness. Carrie’s urn was shaped like a Prozac pill and in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Todd Fisher said that the pill was his sister’s favorite possession. He and niece Billie Lourd, Carrie’s only daughter, “felt it was where she’d want to be.”
Todd likewise gave an update about the family.
“Everybody’s as settled as we can be, and we’re not going to go any further. We’ll have a bigger service down the road for the public and all the family friends, but this was a private family service and we’re — it was fitting and it was beautiful.We have so much of them that was left behind. All of my sister’s words and all the movies, and all the things that they created. That’s what we need to remember.”
He said that they would always remember Carrie and Debbie as “very strong women right to the end.”
After her death, a petition was launched on Change.org urging Disney to make Princess Leia a Disney Princess. Star Wars fans believe that it would be a great way to remember the actress and her character which is adored by many.
The Star Wars franchise became Walt Disney Corporation’s property when it bought Lucasfilm in 2012. Fans have their fingers crossed that Disney CEO Bob Igar will make a “Disney princess exception” for Leia.
Carrie will be seen one last time as General Leia Organa when Star Wars: Episode VIII hits the silver screen this year. However, her future in the cinematic universe remains unknown as Disney continues to weigh in their options.
[Featured Image by Lucasfilm]
