‘Offended? Oh, get a life!’ Princess Leia star Carrie savages film chiefs
STAR WARS actress Carrie Fisher has condemned Britain’s biggest cinema chains for banning the Church of England film of the Lord’s Prayer.
The 59-year-old, who is reviving her role as Princess Leia in the latest Star Wars blockbuster which opens a week before Christmas, said: ‘I have no idea why they would do that.’
The Mail on Sunday revealed last week how Digital Cinema Media – which supplies advertising to the vast majority of British cinemas – had blocked the one-minute film because it feared the advert could offend moviegoers.
But Ms Fisher responded: ‘Offended? No. People should get a life. ‘I don’t think it is offensive to have a “power of prayer” advert before Star Wars.’ The actress – the daughter of Protestant movie star Debbie Reynolds and Jewish singer Eddie Fisher – likened the advert to leaving a copy of Gideons Bible in a hotel bedroom.
‘I have never seen an advertisement like this, but if the theatre is like a hotel room, then they have every right to put up a power of prayer advert,’ she said. ‘It’s advertising, so it has to be advertisers that are objecting.’
Ms Fisher became a global superstar following her success as Princess Leia in the original Star Wars film in 1977. She later reprised it in The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi, in which she appeared in her infamous gold bikini.
She returns as the character – now known as General Leia – in The Force Awakens, which opens in Britain on December 17.
The Star Wars series has been seen by some as an endorsement of religious faith, with its central idea of ‘The Force’ – the energy that binds the Star Wars universe together – standing for spiritual power. Some devotees have even written ‘Jedi’ as their religion in official Census reports.
Ms Fisher later asked her 698,000 Twitter followers about the ad ban controversy: ‘Do you find this offensive?’ In response @mansizetrev tweeted: ‘I don’t find it offensive… even if I did it shouldn’t be banned. You can’t ban everything that may offend someone.’