It was a sad day in 2016 when the world and Star Wars fandom heard of the passing of Carrie Fisher. The actress who brought Princess Leia to life was adorned by millions. Now her daughter is continuing her legacy.
Billie Lourd is building her career while also honoring the Princess in all our hearts. Lourd made her acting debut in The Force Awakens and was a part of the cast of the sequel trilogy. She portrayed Resistance officer Lieutenant Connix.
Her role and screen time went up in each film, which displays her acting ability that was seen by both JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson. In The Rise of Skywalker, she was able to portray Princess Leia, honoring her late mother in the film.
Since her time in the franchise, she has appeared in horror series, like American Horror Story, and has starred in films opposite actors such as George Clooney (Tickets to Paradise) and Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl).
The actress must have enormous shoes to fill as the daughter of Fisher and granddaughter of Debbie Reynolds. It seems she is handling it well.
She continues to acknowledge how much Star Wars has much a huge part of her life. She has begun to show her children the films and has enjoyed allowing them to grow up with the franchise. She was a part of the celebration which honored her mother with Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023.
The young actress does share a striking resemblance to Fisher, and when audiences see her in either the sequel trilogy or new films throughout her career, they will more than likely be reminded of the warmth and beauty that Fisher brought into her work.
Now, as she gets older, it will be important for her to carry on the legacy of not only Star Wars but her mother's long-acting career. Will Lourd be called upon to reprise the character of Connix in any upcoming Star Wars projects?
The character was featured as a prominent member of the Resistance movement, and it would stand to reason that she would play a part in the future of the galaxy after the First Order fell.
Lourd would be welcomed by audiences if she did continue the character, due to either seeing Connix or having Lourd continue to look like Princess Leia in the franchise.
“It's the ultimate, ultimate gift. I keep saying 'gift,' but it really is such a gift to have this. It's like the ultimate home movie,” Lourd told People in 2024. “I'm so lucky that I get to have these films to rewatch and to show my son, because even though he doesn't get to meet her, he gets to know a little piece of her.”
Lourd may be continuing to bless the franchise as she continues her own career, but she continues to give us a reminder of Princess Leia and the actress who played her.