At one point, says Carrie Fisher, I felt like I had to de-Leia the house. Clearly, the effort did not completely succeed: Theres a life-size Princess Leia doll on the porch of her Beverly Hills mansion (in a phone booth, for some reason); once you go through the doorway, theres also a glowing light-bulb sculpture of Leia made for Fisher by a Japanese artist and a footrest upholstered with ancient Star Wars bedsheets, among the other artifacts. Long ago, Fisher made her peace with her semi-permanent residency in a certain distant galaxy. So despite a heavy cold that turned out to be pneumonia, she was happy to spend an hour lying in bed and talking Star Wars. Heres her full interview fromRolling Stones new cover story on the making of The Force Awakens.
Was your dog, Gary, okay with Chewbacca on the set of Force Awakens?
It wasnt Chewbacca that did it. I dont know what the name of the creature was, but Simon Pegg was involved somehow, and he came down a little hallway and Gary almost fainted [laughs]. Anyway, he never got over it. I think he accepted Chewbacca. But there was no way to accept this other thing and we had to really, like, had to go to therapy about it. I kept thinking J.J. would say, Oh, well, come on. Well put Gary on set and then well handle it in post. Thats my favorite saying: Well fix it in post. I want them to fix me in post. Thats yet another book title, probably.
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What is the new book youre working on called?
Well, for the moment it is called The Princess Diarist.
And is it based on those diaries that you found from filming the original Star Wars?
Yeah, partly. Well, either I do it or I burn them now and no one does it, cause I dont wanna leave them for someone else to interpret, God forbid. I actually said to Harrison that Im gonna put out a book based on the diaries, and he went, Lawyer! [Laughs] But Im not the type of person that says, My goal is to write something that makes a lot of people uncomfortable. Go! They wanted it out this year. Im in a lot of trouble, so thats what Ill be doing for the next three fucking months. I found some stuff that I hadnt seen in 40 years.
What would you want to tell that 19 year old now?
Just relax! That wouldnt be possible, so something else. Oh, I know! What I always wanna tell young people now: Pay attention. This isnt gonna happen again. Rather than try to understand it as its going along, have it go along for a while and then understand it.
The biggest thing where Im bad is the first scene I shot: Governor Tarkin, I thought I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board! I had no film experience, and Id gone to drama school in England!
Did you and Mark ever assume that Star Wars would lead to the kind of career that Harrison ended up having?
No, not at all. Completely no. I think Mark may have hoped, but I didnt. I knew what show business was, which was why I didnt want in on that action. I saw what happens! You get it and then you lose it. And since I grew up with lose it, I had to say no, but the first Star Wars script was really cool. I didnt make the choice knowing it would affect my life like it did. I knew Harrison was gonna be the star yeah, period, end of story. But I didnt know until I saw him in the costume, and he was sitting on the set in the bar, that whats that bar called? The Jesus Christ! [Hums Cantina tune]
The Cantina.
Okay. So hes sitting there and then I thought given how I grew up, also, which is to say on movie sets watching. I thought Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart, you know that. I knew I didnt have that. And Mark not in the same way. This is a very unusual thing. Focus pulling. Its like a big responsibility and it follows you around.
Yeah, as Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fishers kid, of course you grew up with this more than anyone.
And watching it. That was how I tried to protect myself from it to watch it as though I wasnt part of it, but it didnt keep me safe. I do remember someone saying to me, God, it must be so great having a movie star for a mother, and I said, Yes! But I didnt know what that was. I was, like, three. And I ran in the house to find out.
Mark Hamill described the lunch that you guys had with George where he told you that he was selling Lucasfilm and that he wanted you to come back.
It wasnt lunch even, I dont think. Maybe it was; I didnt notice [laughs]. But we were around a big table, which is not a lunch-like table. The main thing I remember reacting to was that he was selling Lucasfilm, and then he said they were gonna make more movies but I didnt understand the implications of that. I think I just was like, Oh, okay. I mean, people asked me why I decided Ive always been in Star Wars. Ive never not been in Star Wars, but hopefully now theyll pay me again [laughs]. But I am eternally in Star Wars.
So there wasnt really a choice in your mind.
No! Ever. I mean, you know, I think I said once it followed me around like a vague exotic smell. I have been in Star Wars since I was 20. And theyre not just doing some goofy sequel, like, to service the hunger of it. It actually has been thought out and it has integrity and they took it seriously, which they didnt have to do, you know? Its hard to do, given the appetite and the angles from which everybodys coming at it.
In some part of your mind were you always expecting to be called back to do this?
Not expecting to, but it was not surprising. It was surprisingly not surprising. Doing this again and writing about it has been the first time I sat down and thought how intensely Star Wars has been in my life. It has used up part of my life. Well, it hasnt used it up, but it certainly has gone all over it.
In the Rolling Stone interview for The Empire Strikes Back, you said that the three of you are gonna be seen as your characters until you die, and at the time you said that made you feel helpless.
Well, it can. Or else I could take hold of it and participate in it a way that made me feel like I wasnt helpless, which Ive done. I mean, I think its used me and Ive used it. Its stupid or foolhardy to not like it and resist it ugh, it would be exhausting.
This year Ive watched the phenomenon. Ive actually quieted down and watched to discover what it is, cause on a certain level I dont understand what makes it not a movie, but this experience, this family member. Its cherished! Its fucking cherished! [Laughs] Why? Youre not just an actor in this movie; youre a diplomat to a country you didnt know existed, and didnt until 1977. Its the first time that Disneys been involved [too], so its funny, because they send people to, like, make sure I dont spill the beans on everything. You wanna say, Ive been careful about this for years. Maybe it doesnt look like it, but I have! I respect it. I respect what it is to people because its just mindboggling.
What was it like to be back on the set of a Star Wars movie, playing Leia again, interacting with Harrison as Han Solo again?
I was very nervous, had a lot of memory problems initially just horrific and then it got better. I settled in. You know, think about it, what it would be to make three of these movies a million years ago, and now, Lets do it again, only youre 40 years older and theres a lot to live up to or down take your pick. People want it to be the same but better I dont know. So theres pressure on it, more than most films. But then you get over yourself and say, By the way, its the younger people doing it. You have to sort of like get over yourself fast.
She bossed them around and I dont know what your idea of distress is, but that wasnt [it]. Also I wasnt some babe running through the galaxy with my tits bouncing around.
On a feminist scale, Leia does pretty well, really.
Huge.
She starts off as a little bit of the damsel in distress, but then she picks up the blaster
But not in distress. What distress?
Well, they had to rescue her but she ended up rescuing herself.
You know, they opened the door, but then it was, what are we doing now? And she bossed them around and distress? [Laughs] I dont know what your idea of distress is, but that wasnt [it]. I was locked up, but, you know, so were the guys later on. What about them? And also I wasnt some babe running through the galaxy with my tits bouncing around.
George made sure of that, I guess.
Yes, exactly. Thank God. But, you know, women were not threatened by me. So when their boyfriends or their brothers or whatever said, I have a crush on her, that was okay. Because I was very accessible.
Looking back, how do you assess your performances?
The difficulty was, youre given dialogue where you literally do not know what these words mean and you have to really stand behind it, and thats hard. The biggest thing where Im bad is the first scene I shot, which was, Governor Tarkin, I thought I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board! I tried to do it quietly and calmly, you know, like a human [laughs]. And George said, Youre really upset. Its your planet, thats everything. And it ends up sounding British, and, you know, Im embarrassed by that. You know, everyone Im talking to in those scenes has that kind of style, and it was very intimidating to have your first scene with Peter Cushing. I had no film experience, and Id gone to drama school in England! [Laughs] But the main thing is that at least Im not sort of sexy and self-conscious.
On Empire, Irvin Kershner was known as an actors director. But he also seemed to be really tight with Harrison
Well, theyre all tight with Harrison, they think. Harrison is the star and its tempting. But its funny to me because hes not a real conversationalist. Its just that hes not incredibly eager to socialize, lets say, and so that people would want to get in on that action, it shows that theyve got some nerve.
Kershner was wearing a recording device the day that you shot the I love you/I know scene. So Harrisons script conference with him where theyre reworking that scene has been printed in full I told Harrison this and he was completely horrified.
Ill bet!
And you and Harrison had a fight that day.
We did?
I guess you thought that they were reworking the script behind your back.
Thats right! That I didnt like! Harrison did have that tendency with dialogue. I learned a lot from him. There was one scene in Jedi where Im in the bikini, sitting with Jabba, my favorite hangout! [Laughs] I mean, the time we spent on, Sit just that way, cause theres a line in the side of your stomach. So its the scene where Jabba goes, I am going to send you off to be digested for 3000 years in the Sarlacc Sea [sic]!
And Im sitting there and none of the other characters ever says, you know, Hey, hi! So on one of the last rehearsals, I try saying, Dont worry about me! Ill be fine, seriously! And it was hilarious, okay? Harrison did not like it. He thought it undercut the seriousness of the scene. And Im sure his argument was sensible. But you can fight for, Its very serious while half the other times were yelling shit at each other that sounds stupid! I was like, Why cant I talk, suddenly? Because Im in a bikini? [laughs] But thats funny to me, that I had a fight with Harrison.
And right before you filmed your most famous scene together.
Im glad I had the nerve [laughs]. Cause hes daunting. You know, hes not someone where you go, Hey, maybe Ill go have a fight with Harrison! But I dont think I did fight him on that Jedi moment.
How was it to reestablish your thing on The Force Awakens?
Not difficult because, you know, Ive been in touch with him over the years a lot and its always sort of been like what it is. Theres something thats permanent about the way we handle each other. It was funny because I saw him recently he came in the office and I went up to hug him and he did a line from the movie. This one! And I didnt recognize it right away because it was really organic.
Hes quoting this movie. Imagine that.
Before its quotable. Well, theres something very organic about how they write us. I mean, yeah, there is something about our energies together thats funny and interesting.
He kissed you right on the lips at Comic-Con.
Well, they acted like it was a porn shot! It was too fast to be surprising. I was surprised at all the pictures and, you know elder porn.
Oh, come on!
No but, I mean, you dont see a lot of movies where they celebrate older people making out. Necking! [Laughs]
You know, obviously you have chemistry.
Yeah, we do. Because he makes me nervous and I overcome it.
Theyre not just doing some goofy sequel to service the hunger of it. It has integrity and they took it seriously, which they didnt have to do, you know?
Still?
Yeah, I would say so. But I just overcome it faster now. I mean, imagine being 19 and running into that. It was no ones fantasy. It was like, Can I go back with the kids now? [Laughs] He deserves a good word. Formidable is one. Though Ive said the other one, which is daunting, but thats not a quality. Its a result of a quality. I would try to not get in his eye line [laughs], cause then you have to, like, deal with it. And imagine it in the early morning.
He was 34, you were 19 you were dealing with a grown-up.
I made people nervous a little with my, you know, verbal liquidity, so that would keep me safe, but youre not safe with him. He can get around any of that. And if hes impressed by it, you dont see it.
People think Mark had a crush on you in the first movie.
You know, maybe he did. It was not something that was expressed. We have to work together every day, youre not gonna run around saying things that youre gonna regret saying the following morning.
So overall, youve more than made your peace with the idea that Leia is one of the things that defines you.
One of the things that defines me? [Laughs] No, Ive proud of what Ive done, and the thing Ive liked that Im proudest of is the one-woman show [Wishful Drinking] because it put it all together. Cause I like performing more than acting probably.
I only saw the HBO version. Does that get me 80 percent the way of seeing it live?
The live [version] is better, because I interact with the audience and its like a scene partner. But I just like that its more than you ever thought youd wanna know about someone and still respect.
And you have more memoirs to write, I assume.
I mean, I want to be able to just walk away from it, but when it comes to my life, you cant make up this stuff! So Im stuck writing it. I mean, its incredible. Stuff happens and you think, no one will believe this no one.
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