Our Princess has gone.
I did not have the pleasure to meet Carrie Fisher, but I wish I had. She once said “I don’t want life to imitate art. I want life to be art.” There was no imitation but, her real character shone through her acting and the similarities between Leia and Carrie could be seen by all. She wrote some of Leia’s best lines.
Princess Leia was feisty and fearless, but gentle and kind. She did not need to be rescued or swept off her feet. She was her own hero. She broke the passive mould, and every Cinematic Princess since from Fiona to Elsa has had echoes of Leia in their characters. Three generations of little girls look up to her and have been empowered by her confidence and strength. Three generation of little boys (and not so little boys) have fallen in love with her confidence and strength (as well as her Metal Bikini).
Carrie was Hollywood Royalty, her parent two icons of the 1950s, and thus she did not have a normal life. This combination of privilege and pressure may have resulted in some of her inner daemons. All well publicised, she never shrank for her addiction problems or mental health issues. Rather than hide she talk and explained and wrote for all to see. Some described her as prickly and a little odd. She was extra-ordinary, but if you talk to any of the fans who met her in person at conventions, or in ordinary life, they all tell you she was charming and generous. Some of the crueller trolls and Z-list idiots berated her looks as she aged, she made light of them all, and joked about how “it hurt all three of her feelings”.
Carrie was more than just an actress, although she continued to act she was also , a writer, a “script doctor”, and a newspaper columnist. She was self-reliant and strong and even though type cast by her iconic role, she quipped that Lucas had ruined her life, I don’t think she left too many regrets in her wake.
Carrie Fisher was feisty and fearless, but gentle and kind. I wish I had met her.
Carrie Fisher (1956 -2016) Sleep well – Our Princess!
