For millions of “Star Wars” fans the world over, the news that original stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford were returning to the franchise in “The Force Awakens” was nothing short of momentous. Fisher’s death at age 60, shortly after filming her scenes for the upcoming “The Last Jedi”, was simply tragic.
In an interview with Reuters (above), Hamill says that Fisher’s loss continues to be devastating, both on a personal level and in terms of “Star Wars”.
“She’s irreplaceable,” admits Hamill. “It’s like every fan was dreaming of the day The Beatles would reunite, and then we lost John [Lennon]. It’s just unbearably sad.”
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He added: “’Star Wars’ is about great triumph and great tragedy, and I can’t think of a greater tragedy than missing our Leia.”
Oscar Isaac, who plays Poe Dameron, also weighed in on the loss of Fisher, noting that “The Last Jedi” takes on additional weight by containing her final performance as Princess Leia Organa.
“I think there is a sense that she understands — and I think the mirroring to life is uncanny — that she’s not going to be around forever,” says Issac of Leia. “There’s a passing of the torch that’s going to happen.”
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Meanwhile, director Rian Johnson admits that while Leia will continue to be a presence in the “Star Wars” franchise thanks to digital recreation, he remains “very thankful that we have this film,” adding that it will “mean a lot to fans… You are going to see some stuff with Leia that you haven’t seen before.”
ET Canada also spoke with Hamill, Johnson and members of the cast about their memories of working with Fisher:
