Remembering Carrie Fisher: Princess, Advocate and Legend
December 27, 2017 |
| GIF via LucasFilm Ltd.
December 27, 2016, Philippine time. I was lying down in bed that morning scrolling through Facebook because I was on Christmas break thus enjoying the holidays and just lounging around. One of my friends tagged me in this post that went something like "Carrie Fisher rushed to LA hospital due to heart attack". I thought it was a hoax. And then another two or three friends tagged me in similar posts. No, no, no. This isn't happening, I said.
Then before the day ended, CNN broke the news we were all afraid to hear. She was 60, and just appeared as a CGI-d version of her younger self in Rogue One a few days before. Oh and it was also just a few days after she released her latest (and last) book, The Princess Diarist, in which she dropped the biggest secret of her life ever. Imagine, the last thing she did was tell the whole world that she slept with Harrison Ford.
Carrie the Princess
"I think I am Princess Leia and Princess Leia is me."
I became a fan of Star Wars later than mostly everyone else. I joined the fandom in 2015 after watching The Force Awakens. I guess you can say I'm part of the new generation of fans, but fans nevertheless. When I began to marathon the original trilogy, I immediately fell in love with Princess Leia's character in A New Hope. Heroines in films always had an impact on me, I don't know why, so when I got to know Leia's character, she immediately became my favorite Star Wars character. Even after I watched the prequels, the sequels, and Rogue One, each of which had their own badass leading lady, Leia was still my ultimate favorite.
Maybe it was because of how much character Carrie put into it. There was no difference between Carrie and Leia for me. They were basically the same person - they shared the same ideals, the same sarcasm, the same wisdom. And after reading The Princess Diarist early this year, I realized how much Carrie embodied Leia. I could not have idolized a better character and actress as a role model. She had said in a French interview that "the Princess is not a victim. She's very strong, and that's good because there aren't a lot of strong women in film right now." Again, she was right. Star Wars first came out in an era where women were continuously objectified in film, yet here we have a female character who, yes, gets rescued by a scruffy-looking nerf-herder and a dude who's too short to be a stormtrooper, but also gets her own blaster and says, "Someone has to save our skins!" (Still one of my favorite Leia quotes up to today).
I love Carrie as Princess Leia. I could have never imagined anyone else. And I can imagine how it must be for young girls watching Star Wars growing up and saying, "I want to be like her!" and put on some cinnamon buns. And now that Leia's role has leveled up to General (and Senator!), I admire her even more. Leia has worked so hard to reach that rank. And what amazes me more is how much she has lost and is continuing to lose - her adopted family, her planet, her husband, her son, and now her brother - yet she's still standing. She really is the embodiment of hope. There's something about her character that just continues to make me and millions of fans look up to her. Personally, I think that something is the simple fact that she was brought to life by Carrie Fisher.
Princess Leia in A New Hope (1977) (c) LucasFilm Ltd.
General Leia Organa in The Last Jedi (2017) (c) LucasFilms Ltd. & Disney
Carrie the Advocate
"I am mentally ill. I can say that. I am not ashamed of that. I survived that, I'm still surviving it, but bring it on."
One of the main reasons I fell in love with Carrie is because of her advocacy for mental health. Not only is she an advocate, she was a fighter herself. We all know how she had her dark moments in her life, how she struggled, and how it affected her relationship with others especially her mother, Debbie Reynolds. But what did she do? She fought. Yes, she had history with drugs and rehab, but what's worth recognizing is her recovery afterwards. She was not ashamed to say that she was suffering from mental illnesses. And I admire her so much for that. As a fighter myself, I honestly get a lot of my motivation from her. I also have friends on Twitter who experience the same thing but find their strength and motivation in Carrie.
Upon reading The Princess Diarist, I learned that she already struggled with self-love at an early age. At nineteen, while she was filming what was to be the most phenomenal franchise in the world, she was already very insecure with herself. And I really related so much to that. I also struggled with insecurity at a very young age. I was bullied a lot in school and had my self-esteem shattered. Until this day, I still find it difficult to have any confidence at all. I was always afraid to express myself and to open up to people because of how life was for me when I was younger. But I always try to remember one of my favorite quotes from Carrie, "Stay afraid, but do it anyway. Eventually the confidence will follow."
Carrie Fisher (2015)
Carrie Fisher (1977)
Carrie the Legend "Turn your broken heart and turn it into art." I don't think a lot of people understand why Carrie is such an inspiration to many girls like myself, especially to the younger ones who are getting to know Princess Leia for the first time. Sure, to many of the die-hard fanboys, she will always be their dream girl in the golden bikini. But for the rest of us, she will be that badass princess who straight up lied to Vader's face, got a blaster and took out a bunch of Stormtroopers, single-handedly led and kept the Rebellion alive against the Empire and called ego-centric Han Solo a scruffy-looking nerf-herder. If that's not a role model, then I don't know what is. What's even more admirable about Carrie is that all of these ideals and personalities, she passed on (whether unknowingly or not) to her daughter, Billie Lourd. The love between a mother and daughter is unquestionable, and we see that within three generations that is Carrie, Billie and Debbie Reynolds. These three women are the ideal family. They weren't always on the upside, but when they were, it was all fun and laughter. 
Billie Lourd, Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher at the SAG Awards (2015)
That's the most memorable thing about Carrie: the laughter she brought to the world. In the words of Mark Hamill, "I love her. I love her when she drives me crazy. I love her when she makes me laugh. She's just delightful." I think that's what everyone misses the most about her. In a world where people are just full of hatred and negativity, I think we need a little laughter (and hope brought about by Leia) in the memory of Carrie Fisher. She wouldn't want us to be sad that she's no longer with us (though we can't help it, of course). She'd want us to continue on with our lives fighting, laughing and believing in ourselves.
Of course, Carrie would not want a tribute to her to be written without this being said:
"No matter how I go, I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra."
Rest in peace, Princess. We love and miss you.
|
0 comments