Star WarsCelebration in Orlando kicked off last week with an epic panel that celebrated the franchise’s 40th Anniversary. It included a heartwarming tribute to thelate Carrie Fisher. The next day, LucasFilm presidentKathleen Kennedyjoined directorRian Johnsonfor theStar Wars: The Last Jedipanel, celebrating what will ultimately be one ofCarrie Fisher’s last movies. Both the LucasFilm president and director paid tribute to the late actress in their own way, andRian Johnsonrevealed that she even helped him write the Last Jedi script.
During the first half of the panel, hosted byJosh Gad, fans got to see a number ofThe Last Jedi behind-the-scenes photosthat were taken byRian Johnsonon the set, one of which featuredCarrie Fisherin full costume, with her feet up on a desk between takes, alongsideOscar Isaac(Poe Dameron) andJohn Boyega(Finn).Josh Gadthen asked the director what it was like to work withCarrie Fisher, who, as many know, was a celebrated writer and script doctor for many years in Hollywood. Here’s what the filmmaker had to say, revealing how he first “connected” to the actress as a writer.
“It was such a moving tribute… I don’t know if I can add to that. I love her so much, I just adore her. I connected with her first and foremost as a writer. She’s abrilliant writer, with an incredible mind. I’d go to her house and we’d sit on her bed for hours, going through the script. (We) would just have these kind of stream-of-consciousness, Jazz poetry, ad-lib sessions, and I would just scribble down everything she said on my script. And then at the end of six hours, there would be this four word line of dialogue that would be the distillation of all that, that was brilliant.”
Aside from playing Princess Leia,Carrie Fisherwas quite the accomplished writer, penning both the book and the screenplay adaptation forPostcards From the Edge, along with episodes ofRoseanne,The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, a number of TV specials and special material for the Academy Awards in 1997, 2002 and 2007, along with the 2010 TV documentaryWishful Drinking. Among the Hollywood system, though, she was even better known as an uncredited script doctor, withGeorge Lucashiring her to polish the prequel trilogy scripts. She also worked as a script doctor on films such asHook,Sister Act,The Last Action Hero,The Wedding SingerandScream 3. Here’s whatLucasFilmpresidentKathleen Kennedyhad to say about working withCarrie FisherinStar Wars 8.
“It was extraordinary, needless to say.Carrieis remarkable in the movie. WhatRianwrote, and the performance she ends up giving, I think you guys are going to find that an amazing tribute to her talent.”
There were reports that the recentStar Wars 8 reshootspaid tribute toCarrie Fisher, and it was also confirmed that she won’t appear inStar Wars: Episode IX. That confirmation wasn’t terribly surprising, since LucasFilm released a statement in response to a recent rumor that the studio would use a digital version, but there have been reports that she still had two important scenes to film over the last two movies, her reunion with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and her confrontation with her nefarious son Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). While we wait for more onStar Wars: The Last Jedi, take a look at theStar WarsCelebration panel below, with theCarrie Fishertalk coming at the 23:25 mark.
