A year and a half ago, the Star Wars and Hollywood communities were jolted by the loss of both Carrie Fisher and her mother, the legendary Debbie Reynolds. And while the dynamic duo and their generations of fans were shocked and upset by this sudden loss, our hearts truly went out to Fisher's daughter Billie Lourd, who lost her mother and grandmother in quick succession. The Scream Queens actress has her own small role in the Star Wars franchise as Lieutenant Connix, and she recently revealed some sage advice that Carrie Fisher gave her while they were on the set of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
[On set] my mother would pull me aside and be like, 'It's weird that you're so comfortable here. This is the most uncomfortable environment in the world. If you're comfortable here, you should do this.'
How powerful is that? Billie Lourd's acting career has been amping up over the past few years, and it looks like her mother was encouraging her to continue working on film projects. If she can deal with being on the crazy set of a Star Wars film, then Lourd can do pretty much anything.
Carrie Fisher's encouragement of Billie Lourd (which comes to us from Lourd's recent interview with Town and Country) is actually in stark juxtaposition from her earlier views on the subject. In her HBO special/documentary Wishful Drinking, Fisher revealed how she didn't really want her daughter to go into show business. Fisher had seen how dark it could get, and would have rather Billie Lourd have found another passion. But seeing her comfort level on a major blockbuster may have been the final straw before Fisher gave her daughter full support.
It should be interesting to see how Billie Lourd's career progresses from here, especially within the Star Wars franchise. While she only had one line in Star Wars; The Force Awakens, she's teased that Lieutenant Connix will have a more lengthy role in Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi. And with plans for Episode IX now in flux in the wake of Carrie Fisher's passing, it may be that there is more room for Lourd to take a leadership role in the Resistance. We'll just have to wait and see.
Billie Lourd will also be returning to the small screen soon. While FOX cancelled Scream Queens after two seasons, creator Ryan Murphy clearly sees the appeal of Lourd's talent. She'll be joining the cast for this fall's season of American Horror Story, titled Cult. While the details of Lourd's character are still being kept under wraps, I'd be eager to see her outside of Chanel #3's deadpan comedy.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi will arrive in theaters on December 15, 2017, and American Horror Story: Cult will premiere on September 5, 2017.
