My One Carrie Fisher Story

When I was working at Starlog, I had the pleasure to interview a number of young female stars, and among that number was Carrie Fisher. She was performing on Broadway in Agnes of God and was willing to chat about the forthcoming Return of the Jedi.The interview was scheduled between performances on a Wednesday afternoon. I was invited into her dressing room where she sat on the floor, wrapped in a blanket and answered all my questions while picking at a basket of French fries.She was honest and forthright in her answers but the sly, arch writer we were treated to later had yet to emerge so she sounded like a smart actress, assessing her role in a mammoth franchise while still trying to get taken seriously in other work.We spoke for maybe an hour and at the end, she rose up, thanked me for visiting, gave me a kiss on the cheek and sent me on my way. Whether my feet touched the sidewalk that day is a matter of debate.The interview ran and then was reprinted a few times so I must have done a reasonable job. She did a far better job, going on to write wonderful novels and memoirs, gaining a reputation as a sharp script doctor. She had her demons to fight and did so in public, making her battle that much tougher and her that much braver.She seemed to have grown comfortable with being Princess Leia to several generations of fans and delighted in her work on The Force Awakens.But now that light has been dimmed and she’s gone. She’ll forever be our Princess but the stories she had yet to tell are the ones I’ll truly miss.