Iconic actress Carrie Fisher was finally honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, six years after her death in 2016. Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, alongside Fisher’s Star Wars co-star Mark Hamill, Billie’s father Bryan Lourd, and J.J. Abrams were in attendance, alongside hundreds of Star Wars fans, all there to honor the late actress.
The ceremony took place on Thursday, May 4, the un-official Star Wars holiday due to some fun word play– “May the Fourth be With You” is a variation on “May the Force be With You,” Obi-Wan Kenobi’s seminal phrase.
The actress was best known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars series, including all three of the original films, a reprise in The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017). The Rise of Skywalker (2019) was filmed posthumously, and utilized previously unreleased footage to include Princess Leia’s character.
“No one will ever be as hot or as cool as Princess Leia,” said Lourd in her speech. “Leia is more than just a character. 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 gets it. She doesn’t need anyone to rescue her because she rescues herself and even rescues the rescuers. And no one could have played her like my mother.”
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the ceremony took place near the El Capitan Theatre. The star was the 2,754th addition to The Walk Of Fame, and was placed just a few feet away from Mark Hamill’s, across the street from Fisher’s starlet mother, Debbie Reynolds. Lourd was wearing a dress with her mother’s image on the skirt, and even donned a Star Wars-themed manicure.
During the ceremony, Lourd explained how she developed interest in the Star Wars series a little late in life, considering her mother played a lead role. It wasn’t until adolescence that she watched the film after realizing that her classmates and peers loved her mom’s character. Now six years after Fischer’s death, she is carrying the torch for her mother by continuing to share the joy of the Star Wars films with the world. “I feel so lucky that even though they won’t get to meet my mom, they will get to know a piece of her through Leia,” said Lourd.
Over the past several years Lourd has taken up the family business. She played the role of Lieutenant Connix in The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. She’s also become known for her roles in Scream Queens, as well as American Horror Story.
“My mom used to say you weren’t actually famous until you became a Pez dispenser,” said Lourde in her acceptance speech. “Well, people eat candy out of her neck every day. I say you aren’t actually famous until you get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. My mom is a double-whammy — a Pez dispenser and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame now. Mama, you’ve made it.”
Top photos: From Billie Lourd’s Instagram
