When someone very special has passed away, you can use the memories you had with that person as a way of keeping them alive as well as the gifts they left for you. Today May 4th is Star Wars Day in which many celebrities use this opportunity to share their reactions to the momentous day. Star Wars filmmaker J.J. Abrams acknowledged this day by showing off the Princess Leia-centric gift Carrie Fisher gave him before she passed away.
The world lost a legend when Carrie Fisher suddenly passed away in 2016. Many fans remember her as the brave and sharp-witted princess donning hair buns with a blaster in hand. J.J. Abrams was lucky to have the opportunity to work with Carrie Fisher before her death in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. What better way for him to celebrate Star Wars Day than by posting on Twitter a photo of the last present Carrie Fisher gave him- a Princess Leia figurine looking like the Venus de Milo. Clearly, Carrie Fisher was not without her sense of humor.
One of a handful of gifts from the late, extraordinarily great Carrie Fisher. Happy #StarWarsDay and #MayThe4thBeWithYou! pic.twitter.com/OjyelzMH9wMay 4, 2022
We can only imagine the loss of Carrie Fisher to be a difficult one for J.J. Abrams. It's well known that the Star Trek director knew Carrie Fisher on and off since 1996. While we only knew her on the big screen, Abrams was privileged to know Carrie Fisher personally and professionally. Ever since Carrie Fisher’s death, J.J. Abrams has tried his hardest to honor the iconic actress's memory. For example, I’m sure Abrams could have done a better job for her tribute at the Golden Globes if he was the one who gave it by speaking more about the person Carrie Fisher was instead of solely the roles she played.
The character of Princess Leia was about to have a bigger role in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but she died before filming. J.J. Abrams still wanted to conclude Princess Leia’s story not through recasting or having her disappear. The Lost co-creator decided to use real footage of Fisher through deleted scenes from The Force Awakens and visual effects to change her appearance to fit in with the age she would have been in the film. It still makes me wonder how the conclusion of the new Star Wars trilogy would have been if Carrie Fisher was still alive.
There is no shortage of celebrities out there who have paid tribute to this incredible actress. On Carrie Fisher’s birthday last year, Mark Hamill paid tribute to his former co-star by sharing a throwback photo of them on Twitter calling her “a special someone who was never not fun.” A year before, Hamill, her daughter Billie Lourd, and many fans honored Carrie Fisher on social media for the anniversary of her death with kind words for “our princess.”
J.J. Abrams, her former co-stars, and her fans will never forget the legendary impact Carrie Fisher had on the sci-fi community or the privilege of getting to know her personally. Whether she gifted us with her performances or beautiful figurines, she will always be remembered. You can currently watch Carrie Fisher’s performance in the George Lucas trilogy and the Disney trilogy on your Disney+ subscription.
