Actress Carrie Fisher carved a special place in the hearts of millions of cinemagoers with her iconic role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars films. Fisher debuted as Leia in the original trilogy of films, which catapulted her to superstardom. She later reprised her role in the sequels produced by Disney, until her untimely passing.
Despite the unprecedented success of the first installment, Fisher wasn’t exactly confident about the film. Instead, as a young actress, Fisher was concerned that the sci-fi film might bomb, adversely affecting her acting aspirations and ending her career prematurely. Here is how Fisher felt prior to the release of Star Wars and why she thought it would be career-ending.
Carrie Fisher Was Convinced Star Wars Would Be the End of Her Acting Career
Actress Carrie Fisher only had one feature film on her filmography when she was cast as Princess Leia Organa in George Lucas’ ambitious space opera film Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope). During a BBC documentary, Fisher’s brother Todd Fisher revealed that the actress was unsure whether the film would be successful.
Todd Fisher stated that his sister was convinced Star Wars was a sci-fi B-movie that might flop at the box office and end her career. He accompanied Fisher to the screening of the movie, where everyone’s doubts evaporated after just a few minutes were screened. He said (via BBC):
She was clutching my hand, squeezing my hand really hard, and I said, ‘This is no B-movie’. Carrie’s very famous, all of a sudden – she’s a big star.
As a result, it is evident that Fisher’s concerns regarding the film were eased once she watched a screening. The film catapulted Fisher to stardom as it emerged as a major commercial success, grossing $307,263,857 during its original release in theaters. Fisher also received praise for her performance and reprised the role in several other installments of the franchise.
Carrie Fisher Revealed What Attracted Her to the Role of Princess Leia in Star Wars
Despite her concerns about the film, Carrie Fisher likely had some confidence in her character. During a 1977 interview with BBC, Fisher spoke about the experience of working on the movie. The actress revealed what attracted her to the role of Princess Leia, stating the following:
He (George Lucas) wanted a fighter – he wanted someone who was independent, and that’s what appealed to me about that part.
Fisher explained that director George Lucas was very clear about the characterization of Princess Leia. The filmmaker did not view the character as a damsel in distress and wanted to craft a character who wasn’t a victim.
Instead, Lucas wanted to show a competent woman who could deal with all kinds of threats without the help of the other male characters. Therefore, Fisher was attracted to the role because of the strong and independent personality Lucas wanted the character to have. Fisher sadly passed away on December 27, 2016, at the age of 60. 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi was dedicated to her memory.
The Star Wars films and spin-off television shows are streaming on Disney+.
