Musician James Blunt shared at the Hay Festival in Wales that his good friend Carrie Fisher faced a lot of pressure to lose weight for her role as Princess Leia in the movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Fisher, who had discussed her weight loss openly before the movie’s release, passed away in 2016 due to a heart attack while on a flight from London to Los Angeles.
Blunt, who became friends with Fisher in the early 2000s and lived with her while recording his debut album, mentioned that Fisher was excited about returning to her role but was stressed by the demands to be thin. He pointed out the double standards in the industry, where aging is often more accepted for men than women.
According to Blunt, Fisher resumed using drugs because of the stress, which contributed to her death. The autopsy showed she had several substances in her system when she died.
Carrie Fisher Had 'a Lot of Pressure on Her to Be Thin' for 'Star Wars' Before Her Death, Says Friend James Blunt: 'She Really Put a Lot of Pressure on Herself' https://t.co/zuks6O1eGO
— Variety (@Variety) May 28, 2024
Fisher herself had criticized the focus on appearance in Hollywood in an interview, saying the industry only cared about looks and weight. She joked about the studio wanting to hire only part of her, not her whole self. Fisher stressed that losing weight was about not eating and exercising more, but she didn’t like how losing weight made her feel about herself.
Fisher played Leia again in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and had filmed scenes for another movie before she died. These scenes were later used in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, released after her death. Source
