Star Wars cast reflects on Carrie Fisher’s and Leia’s legacy

LOS ANGELES — Carrie Fisher may have been the "madcap Auntie Mame" to Mark Hamill's "square" homebody, but despite their differences, the Star Wars siblings got along famously right till the end.

While both skyrocketed to celebrity with their Star Wars roles in 1977 and remained inextricably linked through their on-screen family, Hamill says he missed a lot of Fisher's life — during "the Bryan Lourd years" and when her daughter Billie Lourd was an infant. That's why, even before her untimely death last year, he felt especially grateful to just get to spend time with his friend during the filming of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."

"I'd see her periodically during charity events or when there were Star Wars celebrations and so forth. But this was the first time where we could really hang and enjoy each other. Even if I wasn't shooting I was coming in for stunt training and this or that, hair tests, coming into her trailer and hanging out with her and (her dog) Gary," Hamill said. "There was a comfort level we'd developed over all these years. She knew me. She knew I hadn't really changed. She knew I wasn't out to get something."

Fisher was apparently beloved by all in the cast, both for who she was and what the character of Leia meant to them. Her death at age 60 came after filming had finished and deep into post-production, but presented a bit of a conundrum for the filmmakers who had anticipated Leia being part of the next film too.

"The Last Jedi" writerdirector Rian Johnson said he ultimately didn't end up changing anything about her role in this installment, which is the eighth in the Star Wars films about the lives and adventures of the Skywalker clan. That'll be something J.J. Abrams will have to grapple with in Episode IX, in which Fisher was meant to have a much more prominent role.

"We'll have to find a way to give her closure in IX, but we'll never be able to replace her," Hamill said.

Although no one can talk about exactly what Leia's arc entails in "The Last Jedi," out Dec. 15, Johnson expects it will be an emotional experience.

"She is so good in it," Johnson said. "I always think about the fans who didn't know her in real life and grew up watching her and it's like they're all going through their own type of loss. It's really going to be emotional for people who she means something to see this. I hope it'll be good. I hope it'll mean something to them."