14 DAY TRIAL // Carrie Fisher, one of the original actors of the Star Wars franchise, had to put in a lot of work to reprise her role as Princess Leia, 30 years after the events of the first movie. The actress had packed on the pounds that come with time and was forced to lose as many as 35 pounds (18.7 kg) in order to be able to appear on screen.
Speaking with LA Times, Carrie joked, “They didn't hire me, they hired me minus 35 pounds” while on the red carpet in North Hollywood. Her mother chimes in, “She's worked her body out for one year to not have a body.”
The event in North Hollywood was for Fisher's mother, who was previewing the final chapter of her memorabilia auctions, but the press seemed more interested in her daughter's upcoming “Star Wars” role. They kept pestering her with questions related to the script and production, since the rest of the cast and crew were so tight-lipped.
Last year, at a convention, the actress dished out some details about her training regime, “I'm glad they are doing a new movie because they are sending a trainer to my house so I can get in really good shape.” This was in April 2013 and Carrie was significantly heavier.
She joked with the audience about her weight, “So I'm really eating a lot of sugar in advance, as you can see. By the time I really get down to it I will have eaten everything.”
Filming for “Star Wars: Episode VII” began on Thursday, and director J.J. Abrams is making sure that as few as possible details are being leaked to the press during production. The movie will hit theaters on December 10, 2015, until which time we'll have to make do with whatever photos Abrams posts on Twitter.