Today marks five years since the world — and the galaxy — lost our Princess, General, and everyone’s favorite “Space Mom”, Carrie Frances Fisher.
A Life In The Stars
Though best known as Princess Leia in the Star Wars saga, Carrie Fisher’s influence on the world extended far beyond this ubiquitous role. In honor of the memory of this incredible actress, comedian, activist, and all-around no-nonsense powerhouse, Penthouse looks back at some of the greatest achievements of a lifetime being Carrie Fisher.
Carrie’s Roots in Hollywood Royalty
Born October 21st, 1956, Fisher was destined for greatness. Before ever being dubbed a “Princess” by George Lucas, her first great claim to fame came the old-fashioned way: She was born into it. Carrie was the daughter of one of Hollywood’s most beloved “power couples” in an era when women were not so much expected to take a back seat, but were more or less simply ignored. Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, mom and dad for Carrie, were not about to let that happen with her, though — traditions of the entertainment industry be damned.
Growing up in the shadow of two legendary icons would have been tough enough, but before it even had a chance to impact the toddler, Eddie left Carrie’s mother Debbie for their mutual friend Elizabeth Taylor — “the most beautiful woman in the world” — in 1959, when Carrie was only three years old. Scandal ensued. … Imagine. Both of Carrie’s parents were married multiple times during their lifetimes, clearly impacting the mind and budding esteem of a young woman maturing under the Hollywood spotlight. In jest Carrie once shared a large flowchart of her family tree — and all its branches — in her HBO comedy special, Wishful Drinking. She would come to regard her bizarre Hollywood life with a sense of humor and grace, stating in her own immortal words, “If my life wasn’t funny, it would just be true, and that is unacceptable.”
The Carrie Fisher Talent Pool
Making her stage debut in 1973 at the age of sixteen, Carrie’s first role was playing a debutante and singer in the hit Broadway revival Irene, which starred her mother, Debbie. Carrie would sometimes sing in Debbie’s shows, including the songs “You Made Me Love You”, “Happy Days Are Here Again”, and “Bridge Over Troubled Water” — this latter being particularly notable as it was written by Paul Simon, to whom Fisher was married for a brief time in a relationship which spanned more than a decade. In 1975, she made her film debut in Hal Ashby’s Shampoo, acting alongside Warren Beatty, Goldie Hawn, and Julie Christie. In 1977, she got her big break starring in the science fiction classic Star Wars, through which she created the role of Princess Leia. In her autobiography, The Princess Diarist, Carrie states, “I had never been Princess Leia before, and now I would be her forever. I would never not be Princess Leia. I had no idea how profoundly true that was and how long forever was.”
Reaching beyond the confines of stage and screen, however, Carrie Fisher was also an incredibly talented writer. Albeit behind the scenes, she was one of the most well-known script “doctors” in Hollywood and punched up scripts for a multitude of famous films including The Wedding Singer, Hook, and Sister Act to name a few. Many lines that she wrote are still quoted fondly and frequently to this day. She even wrote some of her lines in her final Star Wars film appearance, The Last Jedi. In her scene with Laura Dern as Vice Admiral Holdo, both the Admiral and Leia (now General Leia) begin to say the famous line, “May the Force be with you.” Carrie’s “meta” joke that she added to the script has General Leia saying, “You go, I’ve said it enough.”
In addition to script-doctoring and her various autobiographies, Carrie Fisher was also a talented novelist and wrote several original works including Postcards from the Edge, Surrender the Pink, Delusions of Grandma and The Best Awful There Is. Though fictional, these novels were all in some part loosely based on Carrie’s own life experiences. Postcards from the Edge detailed her time in rehab following an overdose, eventually even spawning a motion picture starring Meryl Streep (1990). Carrie’s wit and wonderful way with words show yet another side of her that reaches beyond a mere image on the big screen. For those of us that celebrate her thoughts as well as her various professional personas over the years, Carrie’s words contain more immortality than her image.
Carrie’s Unabashed Openness About Living With Mental Illness and Addiction.
Never one to shy away from difficult discussions, Carrie Fisher presented an open book when it came to her life with Bipolar Disorder and being in recovery from addiction. Her strength and courage in being outspoken about her mental health in her lifetime has even posthumously proven to be an inspiration to those who might otherwise feel that they are alone in their struggles. Postcards From The Edge — both the novel and feature film — serve as prime examples of Carrie’s thoughtful influence.
Further, in her autobiography Shockaholic, she discusses her experiences with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which she underwent to treat her depression. This frankness in shedding light on methods she herself had undergone in an effort to treat her mental illness plays a larger role in destigmatizing the conversations around mental health.
“I mean, clearly no one would vote for volts until everything else had failed. It’s reserved for those languishing in the suicidal ideation lounge, and I had never been truly suicidal. Not that I haven’t, on occasion, thought it might be an improvement over the all-too-painful present if I could be deadish for maybe just a teeny little bit of it. You know, like a really good sleep, after which I’d wake refreshed and equal to whatever the problem had been, that problem would have now vanished.”Carrie Fisher in “Shockaholic”
In her later years, Carrie was always accompanied by her faithful emotional support dog, Gary Fisher, whose perpetually outstretched tongue and fondness for sleeping (and snoring) during television interviews made him the perfect companion — and compliment. At convention appearances — which she referred to as “lap dances” — Gary was always by her side along with a heaping bag filled with glitter that she would happily toss in the air at fans who approached her. In fact, Gary often sparkled himself from all the glitter that was around. To this day, fans who visit her grave side in Forest Lawn leave offerings of Diet Coke and glitter in tribute to her eclectic behavior and sparkling personality.
The Carrie Fisher Legacy
Diverse people leave an equally diverse range of memories for people. Frequently pictured with her middle finger raised proudly in the air and a sly smirk, Carrie Fisher’s message to the world was — and remains — abundantly clear: Don’t fuck with me.
Fiercely protective of those close to her, Carrie frequently took in house guests to stay in her beautiful and quirky Los Angeles home, helping those who needed an ear, a shoulder, a writer, a therapist, and anything she could think of that she might need to be. Her larger-than-life persona keeps her alive in the hearts and minds of those who loved her and ensures that eternal status, which we can rarely imagine in this world of blazing speed social media.
Always incredibly close to her mother Debbie, Carrie went so far as to move in next door. When you have love, passion, and enough money, you can even bend the real estate market to your will. HBO ultimately sought to immortalize this mother/daughter relationship in a 2016 documentary Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. Sadly, both Carrie and Debbie passed away weeks before the film’s premier.
Carrie died on December 27th and Debbie died the day after on December 28th. Unsurprising to those that knew them well, rumors have even surfaced claiming Debbie had said, “I want to be with Carrie” shortly before suffering a fatal stroke. Interred together at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, both shining stars left their eternal marks with their own flair. Visitors to the cemetery will find Debbie Reynolds poshly entombed before noticing a portion of Carrie Fisher’s cremated remains inside of a novelty oversized Prozac capsule — per her explicit wishes. A beautiful stone statue of Mother and Daughter sits atop their grave site where fans come to pay their respects.
Though most people knew her predominantly from her iconic role as a “Princess in peril,” Carrie Fisher used talent, hard work, and pure fearlessness in showing the world she meant much more to it than an impish grin and a cinnamon bun hairdo — with or without the flamethrower from The Blues Brothers. Carrie Fisher endures.
Not to be overly irreverent here, but do you think people would have not gotten married so much if Tinder had come along sooner? Carrie could have given out “I was Princess Leia’d” buttons when she was done with someone. Somehow we think she would have liked that. … As one might imagine there are no shortages of Carrie Fisher fan pages on facebook, and her site still exists for the benefit of all her causes as they continue in her memory. Word is that she will finally be getting her Star this coming year, although what we wouldn’t give for a shot of her flipping that off just once, y’know? … You act for a few minutes at a time on a stage or a screen. But the great ones touch people’s lives forever.
