Names and faces
Mark Hamill says he’s still grieving over Carrie Fisher’s death, but sharing memories of his late friend and co-star with fans at the Star Wars Celebration is “part of the process that I need to move on.” Hamill led an hourlong tribute to Fisher on Friday evening at the event in Orlando, Fla. “I’m trying to use you as therapy to get through this together,” the actor said. He called Fisher “my beloved space twin” and said they were also great friends off-screen. Hamill told stories of visiting with Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, in New York and attending incredible parties at their homes in Los Angeles. He also introduced video clips of George Lucas and The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson in which they share anecdotes about working with Fisher. “Wait until you see her in The Last Jedi,” Hamill added. “You’re going to love her.” He said that while he’s still in mourning, he’s focusing on her legacy. “When I think of her, she’s looking down from the celestial stratosphere with those big brown eyes, that sly smile on her face, as she lovingly extends me the middle finger,” Hamill said. “And that’s how I want you to think of her. That was Carrie.”
Jay Pharoah said he had a rocky time on Saturday Night
Live because he refused to keep quiet and follow orders. Pharoah, who was dropped from SNL last year after six seasons, said he resisted playing a black woman on the show that lacked black female performers and complained when his impression of former President Barack Obama was shelved. “They put people into boxes, and whatever they want you to do, they expect you to do,” he told New York radio station Hot97 last week. The show’s disinterest in his Obama impression came during his last 18 months on the show, Pharoah said. In contrast, guest star Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump imitation became a staple this season for SNL, which saw its ratings rise. “I feel like they gave up … on the Obama thing,” he told the station. He said he pressured the show to add black women as writers and performers. Sasheer Zamata, LaKendra Tookes and Leslie Jones were subsequently hired to work on the show. NBC declined comment Saturday. But Pharoah said he appreciated SNL as a “steppingstone” to other opportunities.