I haven’t seen Carrie Fisher in ages and so when I saw that she was a guest on my boy Craig Fergeson’s show, I was instantly intrigued. I know that Carrie Fisher has had to deal with bi-polar disorder which is a challenging mental illness and I was curious to see how she was doing. The last time that I saw her in a movie was, I think back in “When Harry met Sally” and I loved her character as Sally’s best friend. After that I know that she has kept busy writing novels and putting together a one woman show based on her own life. Her show, like her books, have been successes for her critically, so I wasn’t very worried that her creativity wasn’t being fed. I vaguely remember that she had done a weight loss program and was doing very well; having lost the weight and keeping it off.
So I was happy to see her come out, engage with Craig and be happy, self-deprecating, witty and upbeat. She has been a force for many fans since the 1970’s; I remember thinking of Princess Leia as a hero in the same vein as Hans Solo or Luke Skywalker. Princess Leia was no damsel in distress, she was powerful, brave and noble in her own right. I would say that in dealing with her own set of challenges, Carrie has shown us that she is also strong and brave. Not only is being bi-polar a difficult journey to go through but admitting it to the world and being very open about the various therapies and how they have affected you is such a courageous tour de force, I admire her.
Craig was such a gracious host. You could tell that he really enjoyed her body of work and he was very sensitive to her experience with her bi-polarism that she was being so bitingly funny about. He kept on saying “Carrie I am trying to be sensitive to what you have gone through and I know that you can say whatever you want but have some pity for me, I am walking a fine line” and Carrie laughed and hugged him. You could also tell that she had some very real affection for Craig as a friend and fellow comedian and former addict. It was a joy to see the two of them enjoying the interview and each other’s company.
laurieanichols 