Carrie Fisher was born in 1956 to Hollywood royalty. Her parents were Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher. She enrolled in London's Central School of Speech and Drama in 1973.
Her first starring role was in Shampoo in 1975.
But it was 1977's Star Wars where Carrie Fisher had her true big break into movie stardom.
Carrie Fisher played Leia Organa, Princess of Alderaan and leader of the Rebellion against the Empire. When she first appeared on screen, she was unlike any heroine before her. She was tough, feisty, and full of grit. Even though she had to be saved once, she was no damsel in distress. In fact, when Luke first rescues her, she's the one taking charge. She's the one who helps him, Han, and Chewie escape. Throughout the movies, she saves the boys more than they save her.
In the first movie, it seemed like she was going to end up with Luke Skywalker. And although they seemed cute together (at least before we found out they were siblings), it was with Han Solo who she had real chemistry with. At first they cannot stand each other. She keeps denying she has feelings for him. But Han's not one to quit easily. Throughout The Empire Strikes Back, Han is constantly putting the moves on Leia. It's when Han is being put to Carbon freeze where Leia truly admits her feelings to Han. It is one of the funniest, most heart-breaking love scenes in history. Carrie Fisher revealed she had an affair with Harrison Ford during the first Star Wars. Honestly, I was not that shocked by it. They had such chemistry on screen, it really felt like they did love each other.
Carrie Fisher may be famous for playing Leia. But she is so much more than that. She has appeared in so many great movies over the years. She was in When Harry Met Sally, a film I watch every New Year's Eve, as Meg Ryan's best friend. She has some of the funniest lines. She also appeared in Hannah and Her Sisters, Austin Powers, and Blues Brothers as John Belushi's psychotic ex-girlfriend.
She may have been a talented actress. But her screenwriting talents were even more impressive. In the 90s, Carrie Fisher served as a script doctor on scripts that needed improvement. Films like Hook, The Wedding Singer, Lethal Weapon 3, and much more were all improved using Carrie Fisher's touch.
She not only helped with other people's' scripts. She even wrote her own. 1990's Postcards From The Edge, based on her memoir of the same name, which was a semi-biography of Fisher's relationship to her mother. Meryl Streep played Suzanne Vale, Carrie Fisher's role, and Shirley McLaine played Doris Mann, Debbie Reynold's role.
Carrie Fisher may have had a successful career in film and in writing. But her life was anything but a Hollywood fantasy. Throughout her life, she struggled with drug addiction, alcohol, bipolar disorder, and depression. She wrote all about it in her biography, Wishful Drinking. Honestly, it's the funniest book I ever read. It was funny, witty, and shocking. It was the type of humor Carrie Fisher was known for. She took her pain, her hardships, her struggles, and made great jokes about it all. She was able to laugh at herself, and let us laugh along. She never took herself seriously, and that was what was so appealing about her.
Her latest book, The Princess Diarist, was just released. It is about the diary she wrote during the filming of Star Wars where she reveals she had an affair with Harrison Ford. I just got the book for Christmas. I plan to read it for the remainder of my break. If it's anything like Wishful Drinking, I may not be able to put it down.
She may have played a heroine on screen. But she was an even bigger heroine off screen. She dedicated many of her remaining years fighting for women's rights, speaking out against sexism and double standards in Hollywood, and raising awareness for mental health issues.
She was not ashamed of who she was. She was proud of it. She was proud of the way she looked, and proud of the person she was. And she inspired millions with mental illness to be the same.
Whether you knew her in person or only on screen, she left an impact on all of us. She definitely did for me.
I could write all day about the impact Star Wars has had on my childhood and life. When I first saw Princess Leia, I developed a crush on her. One of my first crushes. She had everything I looked for in a woman. She was tough, fearless, sassy, selfless, determined, and had a big heart. No matter how tough things got, she never gave up. She was also brutally honest.
One of my happiest memories is when I went to Star Wars Celebration VI with my Mom in Orlando, Florida in 2012. We met Mark Hamill, Ben Burtt, Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett), and Carrie Fisher. We attended her show on the last night there. I was one of the lucky fans who got to ask her a question. It's in the video below. Skip to 1:20.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6rrKH9RFD9s
Only Carrie Fisher could answer a question like that with such wit and such humor.
I met her the next day, and asked her to sign a picture of her in the infamous gold bikini. She signed
"To Lowell,
From one of the sexiest weirdos of all time, to another one.
Carrie Fisher"
I still have that picture in my room to this day.
Three years later, I met her again at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in April 2015. I had no idea it would be my last time. But it was wonderful.
I waited in line to see her Donny sister could get her autograph. I told her I met her before, and had a crush on Leia. And I asked her to sign a copy of her book, Wishful Drinking. The guards asked us to keep moving. So she told me "Give me your hand!" So I her out my hand. She took a blue marker and a pink marker, and drew two lines on my ring finger. She told me "This is our wedding ring." It was one of the best days of my life. I plan on turning it into a real ring soon.
I will always cherish the times I met Carrie Fisher. I will alway remember how funny, sweet, and genuine she was. There was nothing fake about her. She was always honest, always straight-forward. She put others needs before hers. She cared deeply about her fans, and wanted to make them happy. And she did. She made all of us happy.
Carrie. Thank you. Thank you for everything. You inspired a generation to rise up and fight for what's right. You taught us all to never give up. You taught us all to be proud of who we are. You taught us to not be ashamed of our differences, but to embrace them.
Most of all, you taught us the importance of hope. Hope that no matter how bleak things are, no matter how dark things seem, light will always prevail. As long as there are good people who continue to fight, evil will never permanently prevail. In a year where the world feels scary, we need your message of hope more than ever.
You may be a General. But to us, you are royalty. Rest In Peace, Carrie Fisher. And may the Force be with you. Always.
No comments:
Post a Comment