Carrie Fisher Reveals She Was Pressured to Lose Weight for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Carrie Fisher said she was told to lose weight in order to reprise her role as Princess Leia in the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The 59-year-old actress was expected to drop over 35 pounds to play the character she originally portrayed 38 years ago.

The star spoke about the emphasis that Hollywood places on the physical appearance of female actresses and the pressure the industry puts on them to be thin.

“They don’t want to hire all of me – only about three-quarters!” Fisher told Good Housekeeping U.K. “Nothing changes, it’s an appearance-driven thing. I’m in a business where the only thing that matters is weight and appearance. That is so messed up. They might as well say get younger, because that’s how easy it is.”

Fisher explained she did what was asked of her and lost the weight but felt conflicted about her decision. “When I do lose the weight, I don’t like that it makes me feel good about myself. It’s not who I am. My problem is they talk to me like an actress but I hear them like a writer,” she said.

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