Why the internet is calling for Carrie Fisher to get a Hollywood Walk of Fame star
- Posted by
- Hollie Richardson
- Published
There’s a campaign to replace Donald Trump’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star with a new one for Carrie Fisher, and the internet is fully behind it.
Best known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise, Carrie Fisher was also a brilliant memoirist, screenplay writer and comedian. She starred in hit 80s films Shampoo, When Harry Met Sally and The Blues Brothers. Before her death in 2016, Fisher superbly played Rob Delaney’s no-nonsense mum in Channel 4’s Catastrophe in her final role. She’s remembered as a feminist Hollywood icon with some incredible anecdotes from the industry. So, why doesn’t Fisher have a Hollywood Star of Fame?
It’s a question that has been asked before, with many of her fans making their own version to use as a shrine after she died. Now, her former Star Wars co-star Mark Hamil, who plays Luke Skywalker, has renewed a campaign to get Fisher an official star. More specifically, he wants it to replace Donald Trump’s star which is, perhaps unsurprisingly, often vandalised and covered in graffiti.
Hamill retweeted an old article about the removal of Trump’s star and wrote alongside it: “Good riddance! (and I know just who should replace him…) #AStarForCarrie”
In 2018, the West Hollywood City Council voted unanimously to approve the proposal calling for the star’s removal. However, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has since refused to take action.
It has now been confirmed that this is because stars have never been removed due to huge negative backlash (think Michael Jackson, for example).
“We don’t remove stars,” Ana Martinez, a spokeswoman for the chamber, told the Los Angeles Times this week. “The stars are part of the history of the Walk of Fame.”
So, what about Fisher’s well-deserved star? Despite the #AStarForCarrie petition, there’s a big rule in place which means it can’t even be considered until 2021.
“We would love for Carrie Fisher to have a star, but the application has to be submitted on the fifth anniversary of her death,” Martinez added. She also explained that Fisher’s next-of-kin would need to agree to a star being placed in her honour and pay $50,000 to make and install it.
But the force in Star Wars fans is strong, with over 124k Twitter users supporting Hamil’s tweet within 24 hours.
“@HamillHimself maybe if you appeal to the Twitterverse to get #AStarForCarrie trending we can all make it happen!” wrote one fan.
“Carrie Fisher didn’t just play a princess in one of Hollywood’s most beloved, enduring film franchises, she was actual Hollywood royalty. As her brilliantly funny one-woman show firmly established. If anyone deserves a star, it’s #CarrieFisher,” added another.
“How in the universe doesn’t she have a Star already? This must be rectified #AStarForCarrie,” declared a third.
Whether Trump is removed from the walk or not, something tells us that Fisher’s star will be there outshining it by 2021.
Images: Getty