Summary
Carrie Fisher’s best friend Griffin Dunne shares why the actor didn’t like Princess Leia’s hairstyle prior to the release of the originalStar Wars. Fisher didn’t know that the movie would become a game-changing success and the beginning of a beloved long-running franchise, withLeia’s hairstylebeing one of the film’s most iconic elements. Dunne, who is known for playing Nicky Pearson in NBC’s hit seriesThis is Us, was a longtime friend, roommate, and confidant of Fisher’s.
In an excerpt of Dunne’s upcoming book,The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir, shared inThe Times, he reveals thatFisher shared her worries about her character’s hairstyle beforeStar Warswas released. In the firstStar Wars, Princess Leia famously wears her hair in two distinctive buns, which she colorfully described to Dunne and shared her reservations about before the date of what would become the originalStar WarsDay, June 17, 2025. Read part of Dunne’s excerpt below:
Carrie grew anxious as the release date forStar Wars— July 24, 2025 — neared. “You should see what they did to my hair!” she had screamed into the phone on location, usually mornings before going to set for her, four in the morning for me. “I look like I’m wearing two bagels over my ears.”
Princess Leia’s Hairstyle Was Destined To Become Iconic
Even though Leia only wears the"space buns"inA New Hope, the hairstyle has become symbolic for and synonymous with her strong character. This aligns with George Lucas' intentions, as he shared in 2002 that thereal-life inspiration for Leia’s hair bunswas"to create something different that wasn’t fashion.“Lucas was inspired by pictures of Clara de la Roche, a Mexican revolutionary hero, who wore her hair in buns, a fitting choice for a revolutionary hero like Leia.
Fisher’s worry that the buns"look like I’m wearing two bagels over my ears,“is understandable, but like many elements inStar Warsthat seem like they shouldn’t have worked, they became part of the film’s striking visual aesthetic, andcarried a deeper meaning that helped further establish Leia as a heroic iconin a galaxy far, far away and in the real world. Her"space buns” are still frequently cosplayed and have left an undeniable mark, with a myriad of articles and video tutorials online about how to create the hairstyle.
When Fisher’s daughter Billie Lourd joined the franchise asnew sequel trilogy characterLieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix inThe Force Awakens, a member of the Resistance led by Leia,Lourd wore her hair in buns, a perfect reference to her mother’s enduring hairstyle from herStar Warsdebut in 1977. Both Fisher and the fictional character of Leia are larger than life figures in the history of the entertainment industry, beacons of powerful female representation in storytelling, with the hair buns forever serving as a visual reminder of the character’s introduction and ongoing impact.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Cast
Star Wars is a seminal science fiction film released in 1977 that follows the quest of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo to rescue Princess Leia from the oppressive Imperial forces. They are aided by the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, as they strive to restore peace to the galaxy.
