Stepping into a Star Wars role can be daunting for anyone, but for Obi-Wan Kenobi's Vivian Lyra Blair, the pressure of pleasing fans and carrying Carrie Fisher's legacy was unimaginable.
The Obi-Wan Kenobi series surprised fans by focusing on a young Princess Leia Organa and not a young Luke Skywalker. This was a twist that was unexpected and difficult to hide during filming. Behind the scenes, the little girl tasked with portraying a 10-year-old Leia Organa had to cope with heavy expectations.
Via ScreenRant, in a recent interview with More Than You See, Vivien Lyra Blair spoke candidly about the anxiety she felt as a 9-year-old stepping into a franchise with passionate fans. Blair was asked how she felt about playing Leia Organa, a role that's become synonymous with the late Carrie Fisher. Simply put, Blair says she was "terrified."
"I didn’t want to do anything that could possibly dishonor her legacy. So I was like, so terrified, and still am, honestly. Still in interviews, I get terrified I’m going to say the wrong thing. I have before; there was a whole recent thing with a clip I had said in an interview that had been taken out of context, and now a bunch of people hate me."
It's been 3 years since Kenobi was released, and Blair is still a child, so it's concerning to hear how much this has affected her. She seems too familiar with online toxicity, and she needs to be protected. Special care should be taken of all the youngsters who step into a franchise. Young Anakin Skywalker actor, Jake Lloyd, experienced the same brutal criticism. Back then, internet trolling wasn't as big an issue, but critics ripped apart Lloyd's performance, and several fans blamed him for ruining Darth Vader and Anakin forever.
The bullying and harsh criticism weren't the only things Lloyd struggled with. His mother, Lisa Lloyd, opened up about her son's diagnosis and treatment for schizophrenia. Lloyd is on the mend these days, but according to young Boba Fett actor Daniel Logan, Lloyd was sent death threats in the months following The Phantom Menace's release.
In January of 1999, Ron Howard called out Newsweek's Nancy Cooper for a scathing and humiliating piece targeting Lloyd's performance even before Episode I's release. In his letter, Howard defended Jake's performance, reminding Newsweek that even though the actor was only nine, "he is quite capable of reading, understanding, and feeling the full humiliation of a piece like that."
Like Lloyd, Blair still carries the anxiety of saying something that might offend fans of a franchise that she says has existed longer than her.
"It's kind of terrifying, constantly, that I have this giant fanbase that I feel the need to please. And it’s a fanbase that’s existed as long as my parents have been alive, really. Not even since I was born, but since my parents were born. It’s been such a large fanbase that like, it’s terrifying to be a part of the film series that these people worship, you know?"
It sounds like Blair's experience has been a mix of good and bad, but we hope she carries the good with her and has a long and wonderful career. Blair deserves all the love and support from family, friends, and fans so she doesn't suffer any mental health issues that impact her life in the long term. We're sure Carrie Fisher would've loved Blair's take on a young Princess Leia. Knowing what a compassionate individual Fisher was, she would've come to bat for Vivian at every opportunity. Remember, Fisher wouldn't appreciate your harsh comments on a child who gave her best.
Let's learn a lesson from the bullying Star Wars actors like Jake Lloyd, Hayden Christensen, Ahmed Best, and Daisy Ridley faced, and let's put an end to the toxicity once and for all.
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