“That’s what appealed to me about that”: Carrie Fisher Only Agreed to Princess Leia Due to George Lucas’ 1 Star Wars Condition

Carrie Fisher in Star Wars: A New Hope | Credits: Lucasfilm Ltd./20th Century Fox

Actress Carrie Fisher became a global icon when she played Princess Leia Organa in Star Wars. The actress was twenty-one when the film was released and it immediately launched her into worldwide fame as the film became a phenomenon. Princess Leia was considered to be one of the best female characters in sci-fi.

Fisher was reportedly cast in the role of Leia after George Lucas considered multiple actresses. The late star was only one-film-old at the time and had only been in a couple of stage shows. According to an old interview with Fisher from 1977, Lucas chose her because she fulfilled one particular quality of the character that he had written.

Carrie Fisher Was Cast As Princess Leia Due To One Condition

Late actress Carrie Fisher played Princess Leia Organa, the sister of Luke Skywalker and the Rebel leader in George Lucas’ Star Wars franchise. Beginning with A New Hope, the actress reprised the role in the two sequels of the original trilogy and returned in 2015 for The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. The actress filmed for the latter before her death in 2016.

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Fisher was cast as Leia early in her career. While the actress began her career on the stage and even had an appearance on Broadway, she had only featured in one film before she was cast in Star Wars. The actress mentioned in an interview with BBC that she initially found the script to be bizarre and agreed that a few leaps of imagination were required.

When asked what attracted her to the part of Leia, the actress mentioned that George Lucas had envisioned a female lead who did not wait around to be saved by the hero. She said,

[Lucas] didn’t want a damsel in distress, didn’t want your stereotypical princess, you know, sort of victim, frightened, incapable of dealing with the situation without the guys. He wanted a fighter – he wanted someone who was independent, and that’s what appealed to me about that part.

Fisher also mentioned how the set was extremely meticulous while also having a budget. She said that every shot was planned to perfection to account for the special effects that would come later.

Carrie Fisher Identified That Star Wars Was A Tribute To Movies

The Star Wars franchise became a global phenomenon when it was released in 1977. The space opera was known for its groundbreaking special effects and imaginative storytelling. George Lucas’ film spawned a multi-billion dollar franchise that has released multiple sequels, prequels, spinoff shows, films, and more.

Though Lucas has always received criticism for his old-school tone of filmmaking and robotic dialogue. However, the filmmaker has maintained that the language of the film was intended to be in the style of the movies of the 1930s and 1940s, which he grew up with (via Empire). The sentiment was also echoed by Carrie Fisher back when the first film was released.

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The late actress spoke about Lucas’ love for movies and how Star Wars was a tribute to the films he loved in an interview with BBC in 1977,

George loves films and what this film is about is movies. Every scene is in some way reminiscent of a scene in a film that we all loved before, like in High Noon there’s a bar sequence, only this time it’s with monsters instead of Gary Cooper, and you’ve got The Wizard of Oz where you have a robot that looks sort of like the Tin Man. You have an adventure like Robin Hood, we do swing-acrosses. It could even be like Tarzan, Buck Rogers… It’s got everything in it, every ingredient.

Though the filmmaker sold the franchise and his production company Lucasfilm Ltd. to Disney in 2012, the universe he created still lives on with multiple shows and movies.

All Star Wars films and shows are available to stream on Disney+.