Speaking on The Ellen Show yesterday, Billie Lourd – the late Carrie Fisher’s daughter – revealed that she first read for JJ Abrams ahead of The Force Awakens.
While she was not ultimately cast as Rey, she did land a smaller role – one that will be reprised in this year’s The Last Jedi.
“They did not want me to act, my dad and mom, because they were both in the industry,” she said.
“JJ Abrams called me to come in for Star Wars because he couldn’t find anyone for the lead – he ended up finding Daisy Ridley who’s an incredible actress, so talented.
“I went in and he ended up giving me a tiny role with a couple of lines and I was super excited.
“I didn’t know what was going to happen; I went along and fell in love with it. I was weirdly singing Jersey Boys on set; really comfortable.
“And I came home and my mom said, ‘it’s really weird that you feel comfortable here – this is one of the most uncomfortable environments in the world. If you’re comfortable here, you should do this… you should act.’”
Fisher, who died last December, will make her final on-screen appearance in The Last Jedi.
She was initially rumoured to be inserted into 2019’s Episode IX using CGI or recent archived footage, but LucasFilm confirmed that would not be the case.
She played Princess – then General – Leia in the original trilogy, as well as The Force Awakens.
Star Wars: Episode 8 is out on December 14 in the UK.
Daily Express :: Entertainment Feed
