During a special 40th anniversary celebration in honor of the Star Wars saga this morning, Billie Lourd got up on stage in Orlando and delivered a powerful speech about her mom.
While dressed as Princess Leia.
The event – attended by such stars as Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and director George Lucas – was billed as a look back at various stories and memories related to the beloved franchise.
But it was a panel was dedicated to the late Carrie Fisher that drew the most attention.
Especially afterward, once word of Lourd’s speech spread across the Internet.
Fisher, of course, portrayed Leia in multiple Star Wars movies.
She died of a heart attack at the age of 60 in late December, a stunning and sad development that continues to affect all her knew her well.
“She could hold her own against anything,” Lucas said of Fisher this morning.
“She wore a dress through the whole thing, but she was the toughest one of the group. And that’s the key to Carrie being able to play that part. It was a hard part to play, and she pulled it off brilliantly.
“And it really shows the level of her talent. And at the same time, she was fun to be with.”
Incredibly (and tragically), Fisher’s famous mother, actress Debbie Reynolds, died one day after her daughter.
The two were honored together last month in a public memorial service.
“There are not many people like her, one in a billion. We’ll all love her forever and ever,” Lucas added.
And then Lourd was called on to say a few words.
“My mom used to say she never knew where Princess Leia ended and Carrie Fisher began,”said Lourd, donning a dress that paid homage to her mother’s Leia costume.
“She was imperfect in many ways, but her imperfections and willingness to speak about them are what made her more than perfect.”
Continued the young actress, speaking to a sold-out crowd:
“She taught me three important things. One thing all mothers should teach their daughters.”
Lourd then recited Leia’s legendary “help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi” monologue:
Years ago, you served my father in the Clone Wars. Now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire. I regret that I am unable to present my father’s request to you in person, but my ship has fallen under attack and I’m afraid my mission to bring you to Alderaan has failed.
I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour.
Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.
Concluded Lourd:
“I learned by knowing her that the the most evolved person is seemingly a contradiction:
“They’re both the strongest and the most vulnerable person in the room. And that was her. That is Leia. Thank you for loving her and carrying on what she stands for. I am beyond grateful.”
Since her mother’s unexpected passing, Lourd has made various statements on social media and shared a couple precious throwback photos.
“Receiving all of your prayers and kind words over the past week has given me strength during a time I thought strength could not exist,” she wrote on January 2, breaking her silence over losing both her mother and grandmother.
She added of Reynolds and Fisher:
“There are no words to express how much I will miss my Abadaba and my own and only Momby.
“Your love and support means the world to me.”
Out of respect for Fisher and her family, we’ve transcribed Lourd’s entire speech below:
My mom used to say she never knew where princess Leia ended and Carrie Fisher began. She went from being an unknown actress, the daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, to Princess Leia — a character synonymous with the idea of the ultimate strong woman.
A soldier. A fighter. A beyond-capable, independent, sensible woman in control of her own destiny. A rebel who resisted the norm. She was imperfect in many ways, but her imperfections and willingness to speak about them are what made her more than perfect.
My mom, like Leia, was never afraid to speak her mind and say things that might have made most people uncomfortable – but not me, and not you.
That is why she loved you, because you accepted and embraced all of her; the strong soldier of a woman she was, and also the vulnerable side of her, who often openly fought her own dark side, knowing early on that we all have a dark side of our own, whatever it may be.
But she knew it wasn’t about the fight you were fighting, but how you fought it; the way you resisted.
No one could have known what this once-little dream of a movie would eventually become, what it would be to millions worldwide, mostly not her. But in our world, Star Wars ultimately became a religion, our family, and a way of life. And I wanted to be here with all of you because I know that many of you feel the same way.
When she surrounded herself with fans at celebrations like this, she never felt more at home. She could spend hours talking to people and learning about their lives, and how Star Wars and Leia touched them in the same way it touched us.
If left to her own devices, she would have always been the last person to leave at a convention center, having met and shared a Carrie moment with every single person there.
Nothing about her was a performance. She loved you, she loved these movies, she loved the people she got to make them with, and she loved this incredible character she got to create — this force called Leia.
She taught me three important things: one thing all mothers should teach their daughters.
Secondly, she taught me that if life isn’t funny, then it’s just true, and that is unacceptable.
And finally, I learned by knowing her that the most evolved person is seemingly a contradiction: They’re both the strongest and the most vulnerable person in the room.
And that was her. That is Leia. Thank you for loving her and carrying on what she stands for. I am beyond grateful.