Actress Carrie Fisher is an icon in her own right, having gained global recognition for her role as Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy. Fisher later returned to the role for 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which launched the prequels era of the franchise. However, the late actress did not have a great time, at least on the first day of shooting the Daisy Ridley-led film.
The Force Awakens saw Fisher return to the galaxy far, far away after almost thirty years. As a result, the actress clearly faced some issues during the early stages of filming. Here is what Fisher had to say about her return to the space opera franchise and why she had the worst set experience on the first day of filming The Force Awakens.
Carrie Fisher Had Her Worst Day on the Sets of Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Carrie Fisher debuted in the role of Princess Leia in 1977’s original Star Wars movie, directed by George Lucas. She reprised the role for the rest of the installments in the original trilogy, before returning to the franchise for the sequels made under Disney.
During an interview released as a part of the home entertainment release of The Force Awakens, Fisher spoke about the challenges of returning to the space opera saga. Fisher, who starred in the movie alongside Daisy Ridley, and her original trilogy co-stars recalled not being up to speed on her first day of filming.
It was basically the worst day I’ve ever had on a film set in my life. Then it ended and I got to go to sleep and come in another day, and it was better.
Fisher made the above statement (via /Film), explaining that she struggled on her first day of filming.
Similarly, director J.J. Abrams noted that Fisher took some time to get used to the nature of working on a big production, considering she had not acted a lot in the past few years leading up to her return as Princess Leia. However, Abrams also stated Fisher slipped back into her iconic character with ease. Fisher admitted to making some mistakes on her first day but gradually got better.
Carrie Fisher Was Concerned About Her Weight Ahead of Her Star Wars Return
While promoting the then-upcoming The Force Awakens, Fisher also discussed some of the other issues she faced while returning to the role of Princess Leia, particularly her struggles with her weight.
During an interview with Good Housekeeping, Fisher opened up about having to lose weight for the role.
I did it the same way everybody has to – don’t eat and exercise more! There is no other way to do it. I have a harder time eating properly than I do exercising.
Fisher made the above statement admitting that she faced issues while trying to lose weight. She also added that having a good physique was a part of the acting business.
At the same time, Fisher also criticized the unrealistic beauty standards set by Hollywood. She also joked about producers wanting to hire only one-third of her, implying she faced issues in the industry because of her weight. Fisher passed away in 2016, after completing her scenes for 2017’s The Last Jedi. She was brought back using archive footage for 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker.
The Star Wars movies are streaming on Disney+.
