I honestly don’t have much to say here because I still feel
like I am in shock. Despite never meeting Carrie Fisher I feel like I have
known her for my entire life, as if she was an ever present aspect of my life
from my first viewing of ‘Star Wars’ right up to her recent appearances as the
franchise has continued to expand. In retrospect I think I can now safely say
that the best thing about the recent resurgence of the beloved franchise from a
galaxy far, far away is how it gave us the opportunity to remind ourselves of
what a wonderful, remarkable and utterly unique person Carrie Fisher was.
I’ve juggled this thought before as we have lost so many
beloved icons in 2016, from David Bowie Ronnie Corbett to Alan Rickman and Mohamed
Ali. Certain people can leave an indefinite impact on your life and shape who
you are without ever actually meeting you. It may be the reason why our culture
gravitates towards the concept of celebrity, we strive to find people who we
can admire and envision ourselves as so as to confirm that anything is
possible. We identify with them to such an extent that when they pass, a small
part of us seems to die with them. That is not to say that we have worshipped
or fanatically devoted ourselves to that person. But when they played such a
huge part in shaping our identity, and when we have spent so many years
admiring them for their accomplishments it can be difficult to confront the
notion that they are now gone, and always will be whenever we admire them in
the future.
Now I am more than ready to acknowledge and celebrate Carrie
Fisher’s various other accomplishments, such as her towering personality,
impeccable comedic skills, inspirational openness or her sharp wit. You have
her talents as a screenwriter, novelist and actress outside of the space opera,
but by being in a film like ‘Star Wars’ Carrie Fisher made a claim to have
grown up with millions of people across the world, including myself. For many
she left an indelible impression and defined part of who they are. Few people
have a claim to such a thing, to touch and reach so many lives through a single
character.
What a character is was though. One that is an icon in every
sense of the word. I’ve spoken before about how remarkable it is that people
who have never even seen a ‘Star Wars’ film can still name dozens of characters,
quotes and iconography from it without fault. In her performance as Princess
Leia Fisher created an icon that almost transcends the medium from which it was
delivered. As the woman herself put it “After 1977 Carrie Fisher didn’t exist
anymore, I was just a person who looked like Princess Leia”.
Of course this all sounds as if Fisher was resentful of the
role but throughout her life she never came across that way. She revelled in
her role and was continually grateful for what it had done for her, as well as
the legions of fans who continued to praise her work. But what made Fisher so
remarkable was the wonderful way that she never failed to acknowledge the
absurdity of her life, both personal and professional. It was part of what made
her such a strong person, she had the ability to recognise her flaws as well as
her assets, and she used that as a voice through which to speak to millions of
people across the globe. Whether she was leading a rebellion in a galaxy far,
far away or encouraging people to be proud of who they were outside of the big
screen. At the end of the day all I can really say is thanks for everything Carrie
Fisher, even though I never met you I make no hesitations in saying I knew you
and I’m so very glad I, and millions of others, did.
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