It's not easy to write a blog post about the passing of the actress who played the Greatest Princess of All Time. Even more so because that role was, in some ways, the least of her accomplishments. It's not like there won't be anything else written: undoubtedly there will be plenty of articles, memorials, and tributes published in every form of media. But I'd be doing a disservice to myself as a woman and a nerd if I didn't say something.
Carrie Fisher was a complicated woman. Some people only know her as Princess Leia, and certainly that was I how knew her for the majority of my life. I remember the first time I saw her in another film - a cameo as a group therapist in "Austin Powers" - I was actually shocked. It wasn't just that Princess Leia was an iconic role, it was that she played it so completely, utterly convincingly. Whether wearing cinnamon-bun hair-dos or strangling giant slugs in a bronze bikini, the character of Leia remained consistent: a fierce woman, both quick-thinking and quick to act, flexible to meet any scenario, and unafraid to do what needed to be done, but never losing her natural kindness.*
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| A rebel from the first moment she appeared on screen. |
This was a critical character at a critical time. In the late 70's & early 80's, princesses were more sugar and less spice. Disney Animated Studios had thus far only provided Snow White, Cinderella, & Sleeping Beauty. Other sci-fi films of that era - such as Starcrash, Krull, & even the original Star Trek movie - had weak female roles at best, hyper-sexualized roles at worst. Growing up, I craved female characters to whom I could relate. Princess Leia was the whole package--she was a
whole woman. She helped me understand I didn't have to trade my power and independence to earn a man's respect or affection.
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| "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" came out the year after "Return of the Jedi." I'm pretty sure this image says it all. |
But Carrie Fisher was much more than an actress. She was an outspoken advocate for mental health and addiction treatment. She struggled with both, and as a psychotherapist I can say in many ways she was the poster child for triumphing over each--which, in the real world, means living with it every day, struggling to keep balance, and living a full life regardless. She struggled with drugs and alcohol as early as her teens, and almost died from an overdose at age 31 before going into inpatient treatment. This was complicated by the fact she also suffered from Bi-Polar disorder, a severe and often misunderstood mental illness that requires consistent care and medication to manage.
Many people would consider these things as shameful secrets. As a psychotherapist who specializes in working with people struggling with co-occurring addiction and mental illness, I can tell you how devastating the combination can be, and how challenging and complex it can be to get proper care. Both carry their own bias, and together they can make people feel utterly alienated. ButCarrie Fisher used her own story as a way to help others. In an interview with "People Magazine" in 2013 she said: "Well the only lesson for me, or for anybody, is that you have to get help." With simple humility, she was living proof that asking for help is not an act of weakness, but a feat of remarkable strength. I admire that about her most of all.
She shared her talents as an entertainer. She shared her real life as a means to inspire. She was a woman who lived with her heart on display, and suffered all the slings and arrows that such public existence makes one heir to. The payoff was that she has touched millions of lives. And she will be missed.
*Frankly she would have made a kick-ass Jedi. But if they had let that happen, she would have eclipsed every other character, and the last movie would have been called "Return of the Best Jedi Ever."
