Billie Lourd and Mark Hamill honor 'our princess' Carrie Fisher at Walk of Fame ceremony
After forever shaping a galaxy far, far away, Carrie Fisher has earned her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
On May the Fourth — a.k.a. Star Wars Day — Fisher's daughter, Billie Lourd, and beloved costar Mark Hamill paid tribute to the late actress and writer, helping to unveil her long-awaited star. Surrounded by lightsaber-carrying fans, the two honored Fisher, who died in 2016 at the age of 60.
Hamill, Fisher's onscreen twin brother, kicked off the ceremony, sharing memories of their first meeting in the early days of filming Star Wars. He was a "worldly 24," he explained, and expected to have nothing in common with the 19-year-old FIsher. Sitting down to dinner together, Hamill said "every expectation I had was just obliterated," and he immediately connected with his "charming" and "wise beyond her years" costar.
Hamill went on to share some words he wrote after he first learned of Fisher's death seven years ago. "Carrie was one of a kind, who belonged to us all whether we liked it or not," he told the audience. "She was our princess, damn it, and the actress who played her blurred into one gorgeous, fiercely independent, and ferociously funny, take-charge woman who took our collective breath away."
David Livingston/Getty Images Billie Lourd and Mark Hamill at Carrie Fisher's Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony
Lourd embraced her onscreen uncle after his speech, and she later took the stage herself wearing a dress with her mom's image on it. The actress opened up about her mother's extensive career, from writing books and screenplays to starring in films like When Harry Met Sally and The Blues Brothers. But Lourd dedicated much of her speech to Fisher's most iconic role: Princess Leia. Lourd recalled that as a kid, she used to roll her eyes whenever her mom would try to show her a Star Wars movie. It wasn't until she hit middle school and her male peers started gushing about how much they loved her mother that she finally sat down to watch it.
"My mom?" she remembered saying. "The embarrassing lady who wore glitter makeup like it was lotion and didn't wear a bra to support her much-support-needed double-Ds? They couldn't be talking about her."
Lourd went on to explain that she's since become a diehard Star Wars fan, the kind who sobs while watching The Mandalorian and has a lightsaber lamp in her living room. (Lourd herself appeared alongside her mother in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, playing Lieutenant Connix in The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker.) She also added that she wants to pass the torch — or lightsaber — on to her two young children, Kingston and Jackson.
Lucasfilm Ltd. Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in 'Star Wars'
"I realized that Leia is more than just a character," Lourd continued. "She's a feeling. She is strength. She is grace. She is wit. She is femininity at its finest. She knows what she wants, and she gets it. She doesn't need anyone to rescue her because she rescues herself — and even rescues the rescuers. And no one could've played her like my mother."
A few names were notably absent from the ceremony: Fisher's siblings, Todd Fisher, Joely Fisher, and Tricia Leigh Fisher. A day earlier, Lourd issued a statement explaining that she did not invite her uncle and aunts to the induction ceremony. She accused them of trying to capitalize on her mother's death, calling their actions "very hurtful" and adding, "We have no relationship."
Lourd and Hamill concluded Thursday's ceremony by unveiling Fisher's star, surrounded by C-3PO, R2-D2, and a stormtrooper. Lourd ended things by paying tribute to her mother's lifelong love of sparkle, pouring glitter on the star itself. "My mom was glitter," she said. "She covered her world in it both literally and metaphorically. She left a mark of her sparkle on everyone she met."
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