Carrie Fisher's 5 Best Movies & TV Shows Outside Of Star Was
On December 27, 2016, news broke that Carrie Fisher — best known for her breakout role as Leia Organa in the Star Wars franchise — passed away at 60 years old after experiencing a cardiac event on a flight from London to Los Angeles. Fans around the world mourned this sudden loss and revisited the icon's work in the wake of her death ... and if you think she's only well-known for Star Wars, think again.
Throughout her lengthy career, Fisher worked as a writer and an actress; she was even a well-regarded script doctor in Hollywood and helped punch up screenplays like "The Wedding Singer" and "Sister Act" behind the scenes. Beyond that, she appeared in a wide range of projects and elevated each in the process, whether she was merely a part of a larger ensemble, a guest star, or a scene-stealing supporting player. From black-and-white films to a beloved NBC sitcom, here are five Carrie Fisher performances you should check out that don't involve space buns.
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Woody Allen's career and legacy have been frequently relitigated in recent years due to allegations of sexual impropriety, but many of his early films are still beloved amongst cinephiles — especially his 1986 ensemble movie, "Hannah and Her Sisters." With the title role played by Allen regular (and former partner) Mia Farrow and Michael Caine as her husband, Elliot, the movie boasts a star-studded cast, including Barbara Hershey, Dianne Wiest, Max von Sydow, a young Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Allen himself ... as well as Carrie Fisher, who plays April, friend to Holly (Wiest), one of Hannah's sisters.
The story is told across three distinct arcs, and Fisher's April is paired with Holly (Wiest) for the final one. Though Holly has been trying to get her acting career going for years, it's not working out — and beyond that, she and April end up competing for the same roles in major Broadway musicals (and competing over an architect named David, played by Sam Waterston in an uncredited role). Fisher doesn't have an enormous role in "Hannah and Her Sisters," but she's a vital part of the ensemble regardless.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
When people think of Rob Reiner and Nora Ephron's masterful romantic comedy, "When Harry Met Sally," they probably think of stars Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. But they should be thinking about Carrie Fisher, considering she completely commandeers every scene she's in. Fisher plays Marie, best friend and confidante to Ryan's Sally, who is initially stuck in a hopeless situation thanks to her involvement with a married man. (As she reminds the audience and herself in nearly every scene, "he's never gonna leave her.") Then, Marie meets Harry's (Crystal) friend Jess (Bruno Kirby) during a dinner date — one where Harry is trying to set up Jess and Sally, and Sally is trying to set up Harry and Marie. Jess and Marie leave together immediately after, and while Harry and Sally navigate their complicated friendship, Marie and Jess' love story unfolds in the background.
Fisher is funny, charming, and a pitch-perfect sidekick to Sally — plus, she's a fully developed character in her own right, thanks to Ephron's extraordinarily smart script. Whether Marie is fielding frantic phone calls from Sally or telling her friend that there's "someone staring at her in Personal Growth" when the two run into Harry at a bookstore, Fisher is a pure delight. The film wouldn't feel right without her performance.
30 Rock (2007)
Tina Fey's whip-smart and patently absurd NBC sitcom "30 Rock" hosted plenty of guest stars during its run, including Al Gore, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Peter Dinklage, Steve Martin, and even Hollywood royalty like Isabella Rossellini. It should come as no surprise, though, that Carrie Fisher's appearance in the Season 2 episode "Rosemary's Baby" is one of the very best turns from any guest star in the show's history. Fisher was never a cast member on "Saturday Night Live," but was around during its inception and heyday — she even appeared alongside John Belushi in "The Blues Brothers" — so she's a perfect choice to play Rosemary Howard, a long-standing comedy writer who was a major inspiration for Fey's Liz Lemon (who runs a fictional send-up of "Saturday Night Live" within the show).
After Liz invites Rosemary to write for "The Girly Show," known as "TGS," Rosemary's unorthodox pitches don't go over well with executive Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin), who promptly fires both women. Unfortunately for Liz, Rosemary's life is less than ideal, and she ends up at the woman's apartment in New York's "Little Chechnya," which is infested with vermin and stocked with thermoses full of cheap wine. From Rosemary's homage to Princess Leia when she says Liz is her "only hope" to Jack's now iconic line to Liz — "Never go with a hippie to a second location" — "Rosemary's Baby" is one of the very best "30 Rock" episodes thanks to Fisher's performance.
Wishful Drinking (2010)
Originally published in 2008, Carrie Fisher's memoir "Wishful Drinking" details the star's lifelong struggle with addiction — but because it's Fisher, it's also incredibly, shockingly funny. Since the book is essentially a transcription of her one-woman show of the same name, it's no surprise that it was eventually committed to film. HBO premiered the movie in 2010, which immediately became a must-see performance from Fisher.
Whether she's recalling the drama that went down between her famous parents, Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher (the elder Fisher very infamously left Reynolds for Hollywood siren Elizabeth Taylor), or candidly discussing the time Cary Grant gave her a call to tell her to stop doing drugs, Fisher is funny, light, and captivating, taking some of her life's toughest moments and turning them into pretty incredible jokes. Not only that but in the wake of her passing, it gave fans around the world her ideal obituary: "Now I think that this would make for a fantastic obit — so I tell my younger friends that no matter how I go, I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra."
Catastrophe (2015-2019)
Stars Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan had an immediate hit on their hands when they created the comedy series "Catastrophe," a story of two people who form an unlikely connection after Sharon (Horgan) gets pregnant after a one-night stand. Though the show is already great, it's improved by Carrie Fisher's mere presence. Fisher plays Mia Norris, mother to Delaney's Rob, who lives in America and is initially befuddled as to why her son is moving to London to start a family with a woman he barely knows. But as Rob and Sharon's relationship becomes real, Mia is a source of wisdom, particularly regarding Rob's alcoholism.
Mia knows that Rob is an alcoholic, and when he starts drinking again during Season 3, she's stern but loving. "You never could drink," she tells her son. "Why is it going to be any different now?" She also tells Rob that she'll defend Sharon against him — "If you ever hit Sharon, I'll f**king kill you" — and opens up about Rob's father, who was also an alcoholic and physically abused her on multiple occasions. When Rob gets into a car crash at the end of the season, he hits rock bottom and takes his mother's advice to get sober again ... but because Fisher passed away while the show was still filming, its fourth and final season includes a devastating and touching funeral for Mia, serving as a send-off for Fisher as well.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.