Carrie Fisher Talks About the Importance of Princess Leia Ageing

After a long, 32-year absence from the big screen, Princess Leia is finally returning. Carrie Fisher is reprising her role as the iconic character for the brand new Star Wars film The Force Awakens which opens in cinemas around Australia on December 17.

In a recent interview with TIME, the 59-year-old actress spoke about what it was like to bring Princess Leia back to life and the importance of her ageing.

Was it a difficult decision to come back and do this movie?
No, I’m a female and in Hollywood it’s difficult to get work after 30—maybe it’s getting to be 40 now. I long ago accepted that I am Princess Leia. I have that as a large part of the association with my identity. There wasn’t a lot of hesitation.

Did you miss making Star Wars movies?
No. That unstable I’m not. I miss being young - that was fun. They were fun to make. Not to the degree I imagine people think they were, like playing on a jungle gym. They’re not fun like that because there’s early calls and, as you get older, there are memory issues and pressure with that. But I was glad to do it.

Had Leia changed over the years?
Oh my God, she got so much older. I tried to stop her, but apparently that includes death so that didn’t seem like a good solution. Along with ageing comes life experience so in every way that is consistent with even being human, Leia has changed.

Do you bring aspects as an actress to this that you didn’t when you first played her?
Probably, but I try not to. I mean, one hopes that I at least indicate that I have wisdom. Whether I’m successful with that indication or not remains to be seen. And I wear less makeup and I need it more.

You wear less makeup in this film. Was that the director’s decision or yours?
No, it’s me. I’ve seen pictures of myself with makeup on and I look like those women who look like they’re wearing makeup so they can look young, and I don’t think that’s good. They have all these products now called—wait, what’s it called, it’s my favourite—youth suppressant, or age go away, they don’t work. I didn’t wear a lot of makeup to begin with and I was always—you have to be very careful with that stuff. It really annoys me that I’m vain, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to discard that tendency.

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