Why Carrie Fisher regretted her role in ‘Star Wars’: “I would never have done it”
As the daughter of Singin’ in the Rain star Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher, Carrie Fisher was predisposed to a life of fame. After making her movie debut in Shampoo in 1975 at the age of just 17, that fame hit her in full force two years later with the release of George Lucas’ Star Wars.
The film marked the beginning of one of the biggest cinematic franchises of all time, one which would come to define Fisher’s entire career. Though she weighed just 105 pounds at the time, a young Fisher was cast on the condition that she lost ten pounds for the role – a stipulation that almost certainly wasn’t applied to her costars Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford. Nonetheless, Fisher accepted and became Princess Leia Organa.
Almost half a century later, Princess Leia remains one of the most well-known and well-loved characters in film history. From her space buns to the iconic “Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope”, Fisher’s performance in the trilogy cemented her in the celebrity and stardom she had been hoping to avoid.
After it was released in the summer of 1977, Star Wars quickly proved its capabilities as a blockbuster. It earned $410million, making it the title of the highest-grossing film of all time, a title it maintained until Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial surpassed it. But while E.T. stopped at one film, Star Wars became a global phenomenon which has totalled revenue of over $46 billion through merchandise, box office, gaming and more.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the seventh instalment in the main film series and Fisher’s final, non-post-humous appearance as the princess-turned-general, still retains a place in the top ten list of highest-grossing films, sitting comfortably at number five. The MCU and the Harry Potter series may have become some of the most important and profitable modern film franchises, but Star Wars set the blueprint.
While the world was celebrating Star Wars, this mounting praise and profit surrounding the franchise was precisely what made Fisher regret taking the film. When she accepted the role, Fisher recalls having no concept of what the sci-fi series would become. Speaking with Today, she told Matt Lauer that if she had foreseen the future of Star Wars, she never would have accepted the role. She shared: “I would never have done it. All I did when I was really famous was wait for it to end.”
Growing up witnessing the fame of her parents, Fisher explained the distaste she had developed for celebrity: “It doesn’t look that good, show business, when you’re around it. It’s like, ‘Don’t look at the man behind that curtain, the great and powerful Oz.’ I was always privy to the curtain stuff.”
Fisher’s experiences in her childhood cemented her aversion to fame, as she summarised, “I saw the heartbreak of celebrity. Get me away from that.”
Proving herself right, Fisher experienced many of her own heartbreaks of celebrity, but she also experienced huge triumphs. From delving into semi-autobiographical novels to speaking out about her struggles with bipolar disorder, Fisher weathered the storm of fame well and became one of the most honest and admired celebrities of all time.
