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Culture > Entertainment

10 Ways Carrie Fisher Made an Impact On- & Off-Screen

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Olivia Singh

2016 has arguably been one of the worst years, and the loss of Carrie Fisher just adds to the growing list of reasons why. Over the course of several decades, Carrie became one of Hollywood’s most iconic actresses, most notably for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars films. In addition to her part in the massive franchise, there are plently of other on-screen and off-screen reasons why Carrie will be dearly missed.


1. Carrie spoke openly about her mental health struggles. 

2. She wasn’t afraid to tackle body-shaming trolls.

3. Even when guest-starring on programs like 30 Rock, she still stole the show.

4. The impact of Princess Leia’s signature buns extended to her daughter, Billie Lourd, who decided that her Scream Queens character should wear earmuffs as a nod to her family’s legacy. 

5. In her 1987 book titled Postcards From the Edge, Carrie allowed herself to be vulnerable by providing detailed accounts of her drug addiction. The book was later adapted into a movie with the same name.

6. Carrie also gave fans an in-depth look at her time on the set of her films in her most recent book, The Princess Diarist.

7. Let’s not forget that she had no problem sassing interviewers.

8. Her sense of humor was reflected not only in her acting roles and interviews, but also through her tweets.

9. When she felt that her Star Wars character needed some changes, she altered her script accordingly.

10. She also refused to get paid for her role in a movie, instead requesting payment in the form of two large, beaver chairs.

 

The Princess stole my heart at age 7. Anybody who knows me knows #CarrieFisher was my first love. I thrilled to the adventures of #princessleia in the @starwars movies, but from ’77 to ’84, I was in love with Carrie Fisher herself. My bedroom was filled with Carrie Fisher pictures from any movie she was ever in (including Polaroids I took off the TV when #thebluesbrothers hit cable). I was jealous of Paul Simon when he was dating Carrie Fisher and wouldn’t listen to his music until they split up. I paid to see Carrie Fisher and #chevychase in Under the Rainbow nine times when it was in theaters (mostly because Carrie Fisher was in underwear in one scene). In childhood, I committed myself to Carrie Fisher without ever meeting her the way novice Nuns commit themselves to Christ without meeting Him. Decades later, I got to tell her this when Carrie Fisher and @jaymewes were in a station wagon on the set of #jayandsilentbobstrikeback. She was gracious about hearing it for the zillionth time from the zillionth man or woman who grew up idolizing her, but wickedly added “I’m glad to know I helped you find your light saber.” And with that, she stopped being Carrie Fisher to me and just became Carrie. That’s the Carrie I’ll always remember: the dutiful standard-bearer of childhood dreams with a the wicked sense of humor and a way with words. She didn’t want to get paid for her role in @jayandsilentbob Strike Back; instead, she asked that we buy her these antique beaver chairs. Her reason: “Beaver seems an appropriate currency for this movie.” When she was a guest on Season 1 of our @hulu show #Spoilers, Carrie curled up in the throne like she belonged there. And she did: after all, she was royalty. As a boy, I dreamed of marrying Carrie Fisher. As a young filmmaker, I dreamed of casting Carrie Fisher. As an adult, I dreamed of being as sharp-witted and prepossessed as Carrie Fisher. And now that Carrie Fisher is gone, I’ll dream of my friend Carrie – whose entire magnificent career I was lucky enough to witness, whose honesty made me a better person, and whose spirit – like The Force – will be with us always. Goodnight, Sweet Princess…

A photo posted by Kevin Smith (@thatkevinsmith) on

Regardless of what people said about her, Carrie was always herself—eccentric, empowering, creative and inspiring.

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Olivia Singh is currently a senior at Hunter College in New York City, majoring in Media Studies. Her concentration is Journalism and she is a Pop Culture Blogger for HerCampus.com. Music, movies, television, and pop culture in general are her areas of expertise. She’s that one friend who knows just about every detail of the latest news story in the entertainment world. Close friends rave about her storytelling skills, so she can only hope that other people will enjoy her writing as much as she enjoys telling a good story. When she isn't scrolling through her plethora of social media sites, she can be found cuddling with her cat, playing the piano, obsessing over boybands, or eating a cupcake.