Mark Hamill on Carrie Fisher’s Death: “The Heart Was Gone” From Star Wars
During a live panel discussion at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Illinois, Star Wars lead actor Mark Hamill revealed how co-star Carrie Fisher’s death changed the film franchise for him.
Referring to Fisher’s sudden passing in 2016, Hamill declared that “the heart was gone” from the sci-fi production.
Hamill proceeded to describe what it was like when he heard that she was gone. His wife, Marilou York, broke the news. “My wife came into the bedroom—she gets up earlier than I do—I was still asleep. She had tears rolling down her face saying that Carrie had …,” the 72-year-old trailed off.
“It forever altered how I reacted to Star Wars in general. The heart was gone. I don’t talk about it because I don’t like reliving it,” he said.
Hamill also recognized Fisher for the “effortless feminism” she brought to the George Lucas productions. He recalled how her character fearlessly stood up to Darth Vader, one of the movie’s major antagonists.
“I thought that it was effortless feminism to have the princess be far from a shrinking violet. She was tough, she was telling Darth Vader off to his face. She was not intimidated by Darth Vader in the slightest,” Hamill reminisced.
He referred to it as effortless feminism ” because it’s not apologetic, it’s just showing a woman is as [capable] as any man.”
To prove his point, he recalled one of Fisher’s lines as she spoke to the movie’s villain. “I thought I recognized your foul stench,” he recited before remarking, “I mean, wow! Pretty mouthy, huh?”
In another memorable scene, Luke Skywalker (played by Hamill) and Han Solo (played by Harrison Ford) embark on a mission to rescue Princess Leia, Fisher’s character. Hamill remembered how Princess Leia immediately took control of the situation and said, “You call this a rescue? Gimme that gun!”
Hamill fondly reflected, “And she made us look like two stooges.”
Carrie Fisher’s Death
Carrie Fisher died on December 27, 2016. She was 60 years old. Fisher experienced a fatal heart attack during a flight from London to Los Angeles. Upon inspecting the body, medical examiners found traces of heroin, ecstasy, and cocaine in her system.
The day after Fisher’s death, her mother Debbie Reynolds, also died while planning Fisher’s funeral. Reynolds, who is renowned for her role in Singin’ in the Rain, died from a stroke at the age of 84.
