Carrie Fisher’s Daughter, Billie Lourd, Is Ready to “Stand on Her Own”
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Billie Lourd hasn’t been entirely shy in talking about her late mother, Carrie Fisher, who died unexpectedly in December (and, for that matter, her grandmother Debbie Reynolds, who died just days later). The 25-year-old actress released a statement after the news broke, and she spoke about Fisher (and her Princess Leia) at a Star Wars fan event in Orlando in April. In both, Lourd offered snapshots of her mother as an imperfect person who struggled with addiction but was never afraid to talk about it. Those themes come up again in a new Town & Country feature on Lourd, a conversation with longtime family friend and American Horror Story co-star Sarah Paulson for the magazine’s September issue. The piece provides Lourd’s most personal comments on Fisher yet, delving into the family’s Hollywood dynasty and what it’s like to be raised by a parent who has battled addiction.
“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,” she said. “I love being my mother’s daughter, and it’s something I always will be, but now I get to be just Billie.“
Lourd admits it’s scary being out from under their star-lit guardianship as her own career picks up. She starred in Ryan Murphy’s Scream Queens and features in the upcoming season of his American Horror Story. Her movie roles on the docket include Billionaire Boys Club and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, alongside her late mother.
“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,” Billie continued. “And a lot of people have had experiences like mine, too. Tons of people grow up with mentally ill parents who have drug problems. I read this incredible book, Adult Children of Alcoholics—it’s not a great narrative, but it’s a fun psych book.”
She also opened a window into why conversations with press and Fisher fans are so carefully meted out. “Living too out in the open” is one of her mother’s hallmarks that she doesn’t wish to repeat. “It’s good to a certain extent. It’s good to be authentic, to help other people, but if it’s not helping other people, then don’t do it,” she said. “There were a couple incidents I wish she could have kept to herself. But, you know, that was the beauty of her.”
This story originally appeared on Vanity Fair.
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