The entire world was shocked when news broke that Debbie Reynolds, 84, died just one day after her daughter, Carrie Fisher, who was 60 years old. Their presence in movies and television is greatly missed, but no one can miss them as much as Billie Lourd, Fisher's daughter.
In an interview for Town and Country's September cover story, Lourd revealed how life has changed since their devastating deaths.
Debbie Reynolds was a Hollywood icon in the 1950s and beyond, with both her professional and personal life making headlines. Carrie Fisher portrayed Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise (just one of her many great roles) and was a script doctor who punched up films such as Hook and Sister Act. These are incredibly tough acts to follow, but Lourd feels she will honor their legacies just by being herself.
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“I’ve always kind of lived in their shadows, and now is the first time in my life when I get to own my life and stand on my own,” Lourd said. “I love being my mother’s daughter, and it’s something I always will be, but now I get to be just Billie.”
Being 'just Billie' means taking on roles that she connects to. She's currently set to be in the upcoming season of American Horror Story. Before that, she was Chanel #3 in Scream Queens. The 25 year old actress also had a small role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens alongside her mother.
It was that role that inspired her to really pursue acting. That, and a little help from Mom.
"My mother would pull me aside and be like, ‘It’s weird that you’re so comfortable [on set]. This is the most uncomfortable environment in the world. If you’re comfortable here, you should do this,'” she recalled.
Lourd isn't a carbon copy of her mother, but her early roles have shown promise. Still, as she told T&C, “It’s a lot of pressure, because she had such an incredible legacy, and now I have to uphold that and make it evolve in my own way."
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