Carrie Fisher's Daughter Billie Lourd Played Princess Leia In The Flashback Scene In "The Rise Of Skywalker"

I am suddenly very emotional and need a moment...and a tissue.

You might have heard about a little movie called Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It's kind of a big deal.

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And if you still don't want any spoilers, allow me to advise you to stop reading right now. Seriously, turn around and leave.

One of the biggest questions the movie had to answer was regarding the fate of General Leia Organa in light of Carrie Fisher's untimely passing.

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Lucasfilm originally released a statement saying they had no plans to digitally re-create Carrie's performance or recast her role. Instead, director J.J. Abrams opted to feature unused footage from The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017) to complete her character's arc.

The Rise of Skywalker revealed via flashback that Leia had received Jedi training from her brother Luke, and that she in turn was finishing Rey's training after he died.

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In an interview with Yahoo Entertainment, ILM visual effects supervisor Patrick Tubach confirmed that Mark Hamill played young Luke in the flashback scene with the help of de-aging technology, but that when they needed an actor to portray young Leia, J.J. Abrams offered the role to Carrie's daughter, Billie Lourd.

Disney/LucasFilm, Amy Sussman / Getty Images

Billie's face was digitally replaced by Carrie's for the finished version of the scene. *cue tears*

Billie had already played Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, and reprised her role in The Rise of Skywalker in addition to her brief appearance as Leia.

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Connix and Leia had a few scenes together in The Rise of Skywalker, which Billie insisted on because she wanted her kids to be able to see them.

“It was a poignant thing, and something that nobody took lightly," said Tuback, "that she was willing to stand in for her mom.”

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You can say that again, sir.

It's hard to imagine a better way for the franchise to include new scenes of Leia while honoring Carrie's legacy, or a better way for Billie to honor her mom.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go keep crying about this.