Of Course, Carrie Fisher Wrote Some of the Jokes in Star Wars: The Last Jedi
‘The Last Jedi’ writer-director Rian Johnson has revealed that many of Princess Leia’s funniest lines in the film were written by Carrie Fisher herself.
Carrie Fisher, who died a year ago this week, is best known to the world as princess-turned-rebel-turned-general Leia Organa/Skywalker in the Star Wars film series, but as her fans know, she spent the bulk of her Hollywood years not just acting but writing. She was the author of many best-selling books, wrote and performed a one-woman show, and worked as an uncredited script doctor on a number of major films, punching up jokes on classic comedies for years. Now, The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson has revealed which of the new film’s many quips and Leia-isms were pitched by Fisher herself.
Spoilers below for The Last Jedi.
“That was her,” Johnson told Entertainment Weekly of Leia commenting on her changing hairstyle when she is reunited with her estranged twin brother Luke Skywalker. “That was a Carrie Fisher line. Of course it was.” She also added her Fisher touch to the scene where General Leia Organa says goodbye to Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern) and lets Holdo get the last “may the Force be with you” because Leia’s already said it so much. “In the scene with Holdo, that was Carrie,” revealed Johnson.
He specifically looked to Fisher to help him add more humor to the film, noting, “I think that as Star Wars fans, especially as adults, you can get into a mindset of wanting it to just be the heavy opera. And I don’t know, I was ten years old when Return of the Jedi came out. That was the perfect age for it. And the humor and the slight goofiness of it also, and kind of the slight free-wheeling feel of it, and how it’s unafraid to have fun, that to me is essential.”
Fisher gave Johnson ideas throughout the shoot, because when you have one of Hollywood’s top script doctors on your set, obviously you listen to her. “I would sit down with her and she would just give me … After an hour, I would have filled up pages and pages writing down the notes and one-liners that she would pitch…And so we tried to work them in whenever we could.”
But who came up with “get your head out of your cockpit,” Rian? Was it Carrie? You know what, let’s just say it was.
It was also her idea to give everyone jewelry.
Celebrating Carrie Fisher’s Final Appearance as Princess Leia
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill, 1983. Image courtesy of ©20th Century-Fox Film Corp. / Everett Collection.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Director Rian Johnson and Carrie Fisher, on set, 2017. Photo by David James/ © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Lucasfilm Ltd. /Image courtesy of Everett Collection.
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Carrie Fisher, 1980, Image courtesy of ©Lucasfilms / Everett Collection.
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Carrie Fisher and a medical droid, 1980. Image courtesy of ©Lucasfilm Ltd. / Everett Collection.
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Billy Dee Williams, Chewbacca, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford, 1980. Image courtesy of Everett Collection. =
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, C-3PO and Carrie Fisher, 1983. Image courtesy of Everett Collection.
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Carrie Fisher, 1983. Image courtesy of Everett Collection.
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill, 1977. Photo courtesy of Everett Collection.
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Carrie Fisher, 1983
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill, 1983. Image courtesy of ©Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. / Everett Collection
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford, 1980. Image courtesy of ©20th Century Fox/Everett Collection.
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Harrison Ford, 1980. Image courtesy of Everett Collection.
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Carrie Fisher, 1977. Image courtesy of Lucas Films/Courtesy Everett Collection.
Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega & Carrie Fisher promoting “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” on Jimmy Kimmel Live, November 23, 2016. Image courtesy of Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty Images.
Carrie Fisher and her daughter Billie Lourd attend the Premiere of Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” on December 14, 2015 in Hollywood, California. Image courtesy of Todd Williamson/Getty Images.
