Billie Lourd Originally Auditioned for Rey in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’
We’re only months away from Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and already, it’s beginning to feel like a film that will be unbearably sad for all the wrong reasons. The loss of Carrie Fisher will be made fresh by her appearance in the upcoming film, and seeing her alongside Mark Hamill for the last time — one assumes, anyways — will be a touching moment for any fans of the Star Wars franchise. No less touching will be the opportunity for Fisher’s daughter Billie Lourd to share the screen after their onscreen union in the previous film. All in all, The Last Jedi will be the ultimate Star Wars family reunion, biological and otherwise.
And while we may hope to see a lot more of Lourd in the franchise going forward, we almost had Fisher’s daughter take center stage in the sequel trilogy. On a recent episode of The Ellen Show (via Heroic Hollywood), Lourd says she actually joined the cast of Star Wars: The Force Awakens after auditioning for the role of Rey:
J.J. Abrams called me to come in for Star Wars because he couldn’t find someone for the lead. He ended up finding Daisy Ridley, who’s an incredible actress, so talented. But I went in and he ended up giving me this tiny role with a couple lines and I was super excited, didn’t know what was going to happen.
Lourd goes on to describe her Star Wars: The Force Awakens experience as being what sparked her love for the industry, with the actress quickly adding recurring roles in shows like Scream Queens and American Horror Story. When you inherit your mother’s fierce intelligence and quick wits, acting is a pretty easy profession to take a shine to, and for entirely selfish reasons, I am glad to see that the Reynolds/Fisher Hollywood bloodline will not end with Fisher. Here’s hoping that Lourd is able to carve out a career for herself not just as the daughter of a Hollywood icon, but as a dedicated and talented actress.