The hellish part of ‘Star Wars’ Carrie Fisher always regretted: “It wasn’t my choice”
Even though Carrie Fisher‘s career extended beyond Star Wars, the monumental impact of the iconic franchise shaped the space that she still holds in popular culture. Her portrayal of Princess Leia is seen as a blueprint for similar roles in modern sci-fi series, continuing to exert an influence that can be observed in film cultures around the world.
Leia’s characterisation within the Star Wars universe was definitely interesting because of the way she avoided several stereotypes while occupying an active position in the progression of the narrative. According to George Lucas, nobody other than Fisher could have done what she did with the role, using her sense of humour as well as strength to carve a unique cinematic identity.
Despite the positive experiences, there was one moment that Fisher always singled out as a mistake when reflecting on her long and memorable journey as a popular culture icon. For Star War fans, it’s probably easy to guess that the scene in question came in the third instalment of the original trilogy: Return of the Jedi.
Enslaved by the widely detested Jabba the Hutt, Leia is forced to wear an article of clothing that became infamously popular among the franchise’s teenage fans for a long time – the gold bikini. Even though the article of clothing, which recently went on auction again, attracted a lot of attention, Fisher publicly criticised it and described it as “what supermodels will eventually wear in the seventh ring of hell”.
According to the actor, she did not believe Lucas actually wanted her to wear it and initially thought it was some sort of joke in order to get her to lose weight. However, when they did go through with that wardrobe decision, Fisher quickly realised that it wasn’t just a matter of principle but it was also physically uncomfortable to wear the thing.
“I had to sit very straight because I couldn’t have lines on my sides, like little creases,” she said. “No creases were allowed, so I had to sit very, very rigid straight…. When [director George Lucas] showed me the outfit, I thought he was kidding and it made me very nervous… nearly naked, which is not a style choice for me. It wasn’t my choice.”
Going against the reservations she had of reinforcing images of female objectification, Fisher decided to follow through with that scene because of what came next: the chance to defeat her oppressor in a scene that is simply unforgettable.
When asked about it, Fisher added: “What redeems it is I get to kill him, which was so enjoyable … I sawed his neck off with that chain that I killed him with. I really relished that because I hated wearing that outfit and sitting there rigid straight, and I couldn’t wait to kill him.”
Before her tragic demise, Fisher also warned her spiritual successor, Daisy Ridley, against the inevitable sexualisation that female sci-fi characters get subjected to in the mainstream consciousness, and that warning is definitely an important reminder for any actors venturing into similar roles.