Like Ross Geller, the fictional character David Schwimmer played on "Friends" (1994-2004), whose childhood fantasy was seeing Princess Leia in that skimpy gold bikini outfit collared to slug crime lord, Jabba the Hutt, in "Return of the Jedi" (1983), I too, like so many other young boys in eighth grade who were one year away from starting high school in 1983 and began to realize our male hormones were starting to kick into overtime when it came to our interest in girls looked to actress Carrie Fisher’s feisty rebellious heroine from that “galaxy far, far away” as an 80s sci-fi sex symbol.
Whereas we guys saw Princess Leia, as a result of that infamous costume became a pop-culture icon whose picture, some of us, ok, just me, would have posted up on the inside of my locker door in grade school, young girls looked to her as empowering, especially when she wrapped that steel chain around Jabba’s neck, in a shot according to IMDB.com, was inspired by the garroting scene of henchman, Luca Brasi, in "The Godfather" (1972).
For me and countless fans who grew up watching the Star Wars trilogy (1977-1983) and seeing Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015) last year, December 27, 2016, was as comedienne Chelsea Handler tweeted a “Xanax day.” Fisher, who was seen as “Hollywood Royalty” born to parents - singer Eddie Fisher and screen legend Debbie Reynolds, and who was not just an actress but an author and screenwriter in her own right, died almost four days after suffering a massive heart attack during a flight from London to Los Angeles at age 60.
Actor Anthony Daniels who’s starred in all seven Star Wars films as golden droid C3P0 tweeted the same sentiment I, and millions of others who prayed for the actress’ immediate recovery.
“I thought I had got what I wanted under the tree. I didn’t. In spite of so many thoughts and prayers from so many.”
Seeing that dog with its pink tongue just sticking out as it sat alongside Fisher during a interview last December with Good Morning America’s Amy Robach, I couldn’t help but ask myself, “who would want a dog with its tongue sticking out all the time?”
Fisher, who always liked to invoke humor in her conversations off screen especially when poking fun at herself, told Robach, she brought the dog along with her to the interview because his tongue matched the color of her sweater. Up until the dog saw The Force Awakens, he never had his tongue sticking out which Fisher explained was her pet’s way of expressing how good the seventh installment was.
Like so many Hollywood actors and actresses who have a long list of movies they’ve done over their lifetime, it would always be that one role he/she does that fans would identify them most with. And in Fisher’s case it was Princess Leia and whereas some might hate being known for only just one role, she welcomed it.
“I am mentally ill. I can say that. I am not ashamed of that. I survived that. I’m still surviving it but bring it on. Better me than you.”
Writer Greame McMillan wrote in The Hollywood Reporter saying Fisher was “someone we’ve known and loved for most of our lives.”
Carrie Fisher is now one with “the Force” somewhere in that other “galaxy far, far away,” alongside her mother, Debbie Reynolds, who passed away from complications of a stroke Dec. 28 the next day at 84. The screen legend was making funeral arrangements for her daughter at the time.
"She (Debbie Reynolds) missed her daughter (Carrie) and wanted to very much be with her," son Todd Fisher told Entertainment Tonight. "She had been very strong the last several days. [There was] enormous stress on her, obviously. And this morning she said those words to me and 15 minutes later she had a stroke and virtually left."
©12/29/16
Whereas we guys saw Princess Leia, as a result of that infamous costume became a pop-culture icon whose picture, some of us, ok, just me, would have posted up on the inside of my locker door in grade school, young girls looked to her as empowering, especially when she wrapped that steel chain around Jabba’s neck, in a shot according to IMDB.com, was inspired by the garroting scene of henchman, Luca Brasi, in "The Godfather" (1972).
Ironically despite the costume’s immense popularity with fanboys and “fangirls” who’ve walked the floors of yearly sci-fi conventions sporting the same slave girl outfit, Fisher was not crazy about the idea during Jedi’s filming in 1982.When The Force Awakens premiered last December, she told co-star Daisy Ridley she should fight for her outfit. “Don’t be a slave like I was. You keep fighting for that slave outfit.”
For me and countless fans who grew up watching the Star Wars trilogy (1977-1983) and seeing Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015) last year, December 27, 2016, was as comedienne Chelsea Handler tweeted a “Xanax day.” Fisher, who was seen as “Hollywood Royalty” born to parents - singer Eddie Fisher and screen legend Debbie Reynolds, and who was not just an actress but an author and screenwriter in her own right, died almost four days after suffering a massive heart attack during a flight from London to Los Angeles at age 60.
Actor Anthony Daniels who’s starred in all seven Star Wars films as golden droid C3P0 tweeted the same sentiment I, and millions of others who prayed for the actress’ immediate recovery.
“I thought I had got what I wanted under the tree. I didn’t. In spite of so many thoughts and prayers from so many.”
The most heartbreaking tweet from The Hollywood Reporter came from Fisher’s French therapy bulldog, Gary, which showed him looking out the window waiting for “mommy” to come home. “I’ll still be waiting for you…” the dog tweeted.
Fisher, who always liked to invoke humor in her conversations off screen especially when poking fun at herself, told Robach, she brought the dog along with her to the interview because his tongue matched the color of her sweater. Up until the dog saw The Force Awakens, he never had his tongue sticking out which Fisher explained was her pet’s way of expressing how good the seventh installment was.
Like so many Hollywood actors and actresses who have a long list of movies they’ve done over their lifetime, it would always be that one role he/she does that fans would identify them most with. And in Fisher’s case it was Princess Leia and whereas some might hate being known for only just one role, she welcomed it.
“Look, I’ve been Princess Leia for 40 years,” Fisher told GMA’s Robach. “So what, I’m gonna stop now that it’s really ridiculous to be someone named Princess Leia or General Leia? It’s ridiculous. I mean ridiculous in a good way.”It wasn’t just her role in the Star Wars franchise she was most known for. Since her 20s the actress had battled drug addiction and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Her book, "Postcards from the Edge," which she turned into a screenplay, was later made into a film in 1990 starring Oscar winners Meryl Streep and Shirley Maclaine dramatized her personal battles with family life, stardom and addiction. Yet through it all Fisher accepted her illness. Others who suffered from depression looked to Fisher as their spokesperson in a time where today, so-called “normal” people still put a stigma on those who suffer from mental illness.
“I am mentally ill. I can say that. I am not ashamed of that. I survived that. I’m still surviving it but bring it on. Better me than you.”
Writer Greame McMillan wrote in The Hollywood Reporter saying Fisher was “someone we’ve known and loved for most of our lives.”
That’s what makes her passing so devastating and unexpected. I never met Fisher and yet I feel like there was some closeness, a feeling so many fans have felt since 1977 when she graced the big screen at 19. It’s hard to believe she’s gone now. The only comfort is the words Yoda spoke in "Star Wars – Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" (2005) when it comes to mourning our loss and the losses of so much talent in 2016.“Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not.”
Carrie Fisher is now one with “the Force” somewhere in that other “galaxy far, far away,” alongside her mother, Debbie Reynolds, who passed away from complications of a stroke Dec. 28 the next day at 84. The screen legend was making funeral arrangements for her daughter at the time.
"She (Debbie Reynolds) missed her daughter (Carrie) and wanted to very much be with her," son Todd Fisher told Entertainment Tonight. "She had been very strong the last several days. [There was] enormous stress on her, obviously. And this morning she said those words to me and 15 minutes later she had a stroke and virtually left."
©12/29/16
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