A tribute to Carrie Fisher: A princess, a general and a Hollywood legend

After many years, leaving an unignorable mark on the landscape of pop culture history, the Skywalker saga has come to an end, with ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.’ It will be the last we see of iconic characters such as Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) or Han Solo (Harrison Ford). Most significantly, it will be the last appearance of Carrie Fisher, who has played Leia Organa since the ‘Star Wars’ franchise began, dying tragically before the release of ‘The Last Jedi’. MEA WorldWide takes a look back on Carrie Fisher’s history, and the legacy she leaves behind. 

Carrie Fisher was born on October 21, 1956, in Burbank, Los Angeles County, California, to the celebrity couple that was singer Eddie Fisher and actress Debbie Reynolds. Eddie left Reynolds when Carrie was two. She and her younger brother, Todd, were raised alone by Reynolds for most of their childhood until Reynold’s second marriage to Harry Karl in 1960. 

Displaying an interest in writing, poetry and the arts from a young age, Carrie Fisher made her first acting appearance on Broadway at 15 on ‘Irene,’ a show that starred her mother. She debuted in ‘Shampoo’ (1975), but her big breakthrough came with 1977’s ‘Star Wars’ as Princess Leia Organa. Princess Leia is undoubtedly Fisher’s most iconic role. The strong, capable, wisecracking leader was a departure from most science fiction female characters of the time. She would reprise her role in ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ and ‘Return of the Jedi’.

In the 1980s, Fisher began struggling with alcohol, and drugs. In an interview with News.com.au, she revealed she’d done cocaine on the sets of ‘The Empire Strikes Back,’ as well as on the sets of ‘The Blues Brothers,’ where her drug abuse was taken to excess. "Slowly I realized I was doing a bit more drugs than other people and losing my choice in the matter," she said.

In 1987, Fisher released her first novel, ‘Postcards from the Edge,’ a semi-autobiographical tale about the relationship between a celebrity mother and daughter. She would adapt the novel into a screenplay for the 1990 film of the same name, starring Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine. Her screenwriting talent saw her work as a script doctor for many Hollywood films, such as Sister Act (1992), Outbreak (1995) and The Wedding Singer (1998), and the ‘Star Wars’ prequels. She’s also had guest appearances in shows like 30 Rock and Catastrophe. 

In 2009, Carrie Fisher wrote and performed a one-woman play about her Hollywood experiences called ‘Wishful Drinking,’ co-created and directed by Josh Ravetech, which she would later adapt into a novel. HBO made a documentary about the play. Fisher also wrote ‘The Best Awful There Is’ (2004) and ‘Shockaholic’ (2012).

Carrie Fisher became known for speaking openly about her experiences with drug addiction, and her struggles with mental health, having been diagnosed as bi-polar. Harvard College presented Fisher with its Annual Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism. In her acceptance speech, Fisher said, “I’ve never been ashamed of my mental illness; it never occurred to me. Many people thank me for talking about it, and mothers can tell their kids when they are upset with the diagnosis that Princess Leia is bipolar too.”

In 2015, she reprised  her role as Leia Organa in the long-awaited continuation of the ‘Star Wars’ films with ‘The Force Awakens.’ She passed before the release of ‘The Last Jedi,’ and appeared posthumously in ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ thanks to archival footage that was edited to fit the film. 

Fisher was cremated, her ashes placed in a Prozac-pill shaped urn that was reportedly one of her favorite possessions. Many tributes were had in her honor after her passing, including one held by Mark Hamill at the ‘Star Wars Celebration’ in Orlando.

A quote from ‘Wishful Drinking’ was popularized by her fans. It talks of how George Lucas told her that underwear wasn’t worn in space, telling her that people’s bodies expand and if she wore underwear she’d be strangled by her own bra. This has led to a rather unique obituary that has been widely embraced: “Now I think that this would make for a fantastic obit—so I tell my younger friends that no matter how I go, I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra.” 

‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ is in cinemas now.