If you're at all aware of how funny and unapologetic Carrie Fisher was in real life,
you probably wouldn't be surprised by her hilarious comments on the
costume she had to wear in "Return of the Jedi".
Princess Leia's much-talked-about "Return of the Jedi" bikini has raised eyebrows since it
first appeared on movie screens in 1983 in the third "Star Wars" film. Carrie Fisher,
who will forever be known for the role, was reluctantly clad in the abbreviated
attire when her character was being held captive by the monstrous, bulbous space
gangster Jabba the Hut. Since then, some have dubbed the tiny togs the "Slave Leia bikini."
"What do you think, Ralph?"
"Where's the other half of that costume?"
Some claim it steals the show from Harrison Ford as Han Solo and Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker,
as their characters struggle to rescue Leia. As Carrie Fisher
herself expressed in years of interviews, it wasn't exactly a day at the beach.
Nevertheless, Carrie Fisher was always ready with her writing talent and sense of humor. Years
before she became one of the top Hollywood "script doctors," punching up numerous movie scripts,
she was on the set of "Return of the Jedi" when she decided that Princess Leia had
something more to add to a scene. Fisher came up with a few lines to say right on the spot.
Thirty-three years later, before the premiere of "Star Wars Episode Eight:
The Last Jedi," she recalled this moment for National Public Radio:
"When we first rehearsed it, [Harrison and Mark are] brought in front of Jabba. They
talk to Jabba, Jabba talks to Harrison and Mark, and then they're led off. They never say, 'Hey,
how are you.' So as they were being led off, I said, in the rehearsal,
'Don't worry about me! I'll be fine! Seriously!' which I thought they should've kept in there."
In addition to not having her clever line used in the film,
Carrie Fisher also had to deal with the highly questionable public display of
wearing a revealing costume. In the movie, she was forced to wear the costume by Jabba the Hut.
"You tell that slimy piece of worm-ridden filth, he'll get no such pleasure from us!"
"Right?"
In real life, the costume was provided for Fisher by "Return of the Jedi" co-writer and "Star Wars"
creator George Lucas, who approved the design. According to one of the designers, they did
respond to her request for some modifications to allow more comfort in the action scenes.
She explained the situation to NPR:
"It was like, 'Where am I in all of this?' [...] I have to stay with the slug with the
big tongue! Nearly naked, which is not a style choice for me. [...] It wasn't
my choice. When [George Lucas] showed me the outfit, I thought he was kidding and it made
me very nervous. I had to sit very straight because I couldn't have lines on my sides,
like little creases. No creases were allowed, so I had to sit very, very rigid straight."
"But tell me why –" "No. No. There is no 'Why.'"
However, Fisher admitted that there was a silver lining to the scene. In retrospect,
she used the experience to enhance her performance.
As she explained:
"What redeems it is I get to kill him, which was so enjoyable. I sawed his neck off with
that chain that I killed him with. I really relished that because I hated
wearing that outfit and sitting there rigid straight, and I couldn't wait to kill him."
Princess Leia's golden bikini may have been brief, but there
was no telling how long Fisher's love/hate relationship with the costume would go on.
"This time too? They hire part of you. They hired like 80 percent
of me and they said, "Get rid of that extra 20."
Fisher fielded a parade of awkward conversations regarding the golden bikini for the rest of her
days. Through it all, she proved that a sense of humor could be as powerful as a
lightsaber. After witnessing the cosplay worlds of Comic-Con and other events, Fisher remarked
about her fondness for seeing male cosplayers turn the other cheeks on the infamous outfit.
She was at her acerbic best when she told NPR:
"My favorite [costume] to see is the metal bikini — on men! That is what has been happening a lot.
A lot. And not thin men, by the way! So that makes me feel good about myself, kind
of a before-and-after thing — this is way after. Not only is Princess Leia fatter, she's a guy!"
Carrie Fisher's NPR interview would be among her last. She would pass away one month later.
However, as Luke Skywalker said:
"No one's ever really gone."
Accordingly, fans will never truly be without the wit,
wisdom, and talent of Carrie Fisher. It's almost always a few clicks away.