Billie Lourd has issued a rare statement about her decision not to invite Carrie Fisher’s siblings to her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.
Fisher, primarily known to many for originating the role of Princess Leia in the Star Wars films, died in 2016.
She is due to be honoured with a star on the illustrious Los Angeles walkway later on Thursday (4 May). The date, “May the 4th”, is significant to Star Wars fans due to its audible similarity to the franchise’s memorable phrase, “May the force be with you”.
Ahead of the event, Lourd, 30, shared a public message in response to social media posts from Fisher’s siblings about their lack of involvement in the function.
“Because they publicly attacked me, I have to publicly respond,” her statement to The Hollywood Reporter reads. “The truth is I did not invite them to this ceremony. They know why.”
According to Lourd, she chose not to involve her maternal aunts and uncle due to their actions soon after Fisher’s death, which included “doing multiple interviews and selling individual books for a lot of money”.
“I found out they had done this through the press,” Lourd wrote. “They never consulted me or considered how this would affect our relationship.
“The truth of my mom’s very complicated relationship with her family is only known by me and those who were actually close to her. Though I recognise they have every right to do whatever they choose, their actions were very hurtful to me at the most difficult time in my life. I chose to and still choose to deal with her loss in a much different way.”
Lourd, who has worked on projects such as Scream Queens, the American Horror Story franchise and Ticket to Paradise, clarified that she harbours no ill will towards her estranged family members.
“To be clear – there is no feud. We have no relationship. This was a conscious decision on my part to break a cycle with a way of life I want no part of for myself or my children.”
Prior to Lourd’s statement, Joely Fisher posted a photo on Instagram with Carrie and their other sister Tricia on Wednesday (3 May), along with a caption expressing their confusion at not being included in the ceremony.
“For some bizarre, misguided reason our niece has chosen not to include us in this epic moment in our sister’s career,” Joely wrote. “This is something Carrie would have definitely wanted her siblings to be present for.”
Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the space films, responded to news of Fisher’s star by saying that it was “long overdue”.
