Who Is Carrie Fisher's Daughter?
Carrie Fisher was one of the best-known celebrities of her generation: an actress, a writer, an outspoken advocate for mental health, and — of course — a princess extraordinaire. But as famous as Fisher was, her daughter, Billie Lourd, has a shockingly low profile for the daughter of Hollywood royalty. Here's everything you need to know about this talented newcomer before she becomes a household name.
She's a Star Wars alum
The sci-fi franchise that launched Carrie Fisher to the height of her fame was also the entry point for Billie Lourd's first foray into showbiz — although her role wasn't anywhere near as big (or royal) as her mother's. With only a single line and a few seconds of screen time, it was easy to miss Lourd in her role as Rebellion member Lieutenant Connix (although the distinctive hairstyle she sported under her headset should have made sharp-eyed fans go hmmmm.) But if you failed to spot her in the background in Star Wars VI: The Force Awakens, you'll have a second chance soon enough. Lourd has confirmed that she's set to appear in the next installment of the saga, too, where she'll hopefully see more action (and survive long enough to take down the First Order.)
She's a scream queen
Until the next Star Wars flick hits the big screen, the best time to see Billie Lourd in action is on the nights Ryan Murphy's camp horror-comedy Scream Queens airs on FOX. Lourd plays Chanel #3 on the show, where she often appears in a pair of earmuffs that look an awful lot like a certain intergalactic space princess' signature hairstyle. Although the earmuffs have a scripted explanation — Chanel #3 lives in perpetual terror of having her ears cut off, you know, as one does — Star Wars fans have long speculated the accessory might also be an homage to Lourd's famous mom, and nobody has explicitly said they're wrong, so...
She's got fame in the family
You know Lourd as the daughter of Carrie Fisher, but her ties to the A-list run much wider and deeper than that. Her grandmother, of course, is Debbie Reynolds, who spent decades as a Hollywood A-lister after a breakout performance in the 1952 musical classic Singin' in the Rain (and who tragically died of a stroke only a day after Carrie Fisher, her daughter, passed away.) And Lourd's father? That would be Bryan Lourd, the managing director of Hollywood super-agency CAA, which boasts a roster of actors including George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Lawrence, and Meryl Streep... the last of whom is not just Bryan Lourd's client, but also Billie Lourd's godmother. Who needs a fairy godmama in the family when you've got a multiple Oscar-winner on your side?
She's a latecomer to the acting scene
Considering her Hollywood pedigree, you'd be excused for thinking Billie Lourd was groomed from birth to enjoy a life of stardom on the silver screen. But in fact, the young actress was strongly discouraged from pursuing the family business by both her mother and grandmother. In one interview, Lourd revealed how grandma Debbie Reynolds coughed up a cautionary tale about the downsides of showbiz in the form of her own diaries from the set, in the hopes that the horrors therein would scare Billie away.
"It's a binder of loose-leaf papers written in the second person," she said. "'Dear Debbie, you're sitting in the makeup chair, you have no eyebrows, you're a shell of yourself, and it's 5 a.m. How did you get here?'"
Once Lourd had determined that she wanted to pursue a career onscreen, though, she used the diaries to internalize a different message: "Her advice would be to keep true to yourself and don't lose yourself. Or your eyebrows."
Most incredibly: thanks to Carrie Fisher's concerted efforts to keep her daughter anchored in the real world, Billie never even stepped foot on a movie set until she made her debut in Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens.
She's a vintage fitness aficionado
If you're wondering how Billie Lourd got such a bangin' bod, the answer is... well, okay, let's be real, it's genetics. (You can't be the daughter of Princess Leia and not come out gorgeous from top to toe. It's science!) But she also stays active, and while you might catch her Soul Cycling along with other hardcore Hollywood fitness enthusiasts from time to time, her heart — and her core — is all about the 1980s.
"I love doing yoga and for any of you 80's fans out there, I'm not ashamed to say I do '8-Minute Abs' at least twice a week (don't judge me, I love the weird music and the guy's encouraging 80s trainer voice)," she told The New Potato in 2016.
She's a social media pro
If Billie Lourd ever wants to quit showbiz, she could definitely have a second life as her own online brand. Some stars struggle to find a balance on social media, let alone to make their posts engaging and witty. But clearly, you can count a sharp sense of humor, a creative way with words, and a spotlight-grabbing stage presence among the traits Lourd inherited from her mom. Her Instagram is like a gorgeous curated gallery of perfect poses, expert hashtags, and just the right percentage of pictures of dog. And her username? It's @praisethelourd, of course. Hallelujah, Amen.
She's a baseball fan
Lourd might have taken awhile to set foot in the main industry of Tinseltown, but there was no such hesitation when it came to joining the fandom of the local baseball team. The actress is all about the Los Angeles Dodgers — and their stadium food. NOM.
She's Gary Fisher's new mom
If you followed Carrie Fisher on social media before her untimely passing, you probably got to know her other child: a snazzy French bulldog, Gary Fisher, whose tongue adorably defied the basic laws of both physics and general decency. Gary was a star on Carrie's Twitter account and a frequent guest during her interviews, premieres, and red carpet appearances related to Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens (including this one, where he memorably tried to show BB-8 who was boss.) But if you want to see the famous Frenchie now, you'll most likely find him by Billie Lourd's side (or at least on her Instagram), since she adopted him in accordance with her mother's wishes after her death. Fortunately, Lourd was already a dog lover; her own bulldog, Tina, is reportedly Gary's best friend.
She's Taylor Lautner's favorite PDA partner
As of this writing, Billie Lourd hasn't been romantically linked with anyone on any kind of official basis. But if we had to guess her type, we're thinking tall, dark, and... werewolf. Yep, that's right: thanks to pal Keke Palmer, Lourd was caught on camera sharing a smooch with Twilight heartthrob and famous shape-shifter Taylor Lautner at a Scream Queens cast party — and while neither actor has made a statement about the lip-lock, it certainly looks legit. Is this love, or a publicity stunt, or just a little casual tongue-kissing between two good friends? We may never know, but that shouldn't stop anyone from speculating and/or writing lurid Twilight/Scream Queens crossover fanfic about it.
She's a proud feminist
Considering Carrie Fisher's outspokenness and take-no-shizz attitude toward sexism, it should surprise no one to learn her daughter was raised to be just as resilient — in a way that transcended gender entirely. In a 2016 interview with Scream Queens creator Ryan Murphy, Billie Lourd explained how her mother's feminism informed her approach to parenting as follows:
She told me to be true, and kind, and confident in yourself. She raised me to not think of men and women as different. She raised me without gender. It's kind of the reason she named me Billie. It's not about being a strong woman – it's about being a strong person. She once told me, 'I never sat you down with a credo. It was more about leading by example.'"
Needless to say, Lourd is carrying on her mother's legacy by being an outspoken feminist herself, and by paying close attention to issues like womens' representation in Hollywood.
And you can catch her on the big screen twice in 2017
Now that you know Billie Lourd is one of the freshest new faces to watch in Hollywood, you'll want to keep an eye out for her in all her various roles, including her return to the big screen in 2017. In addition to her role in the next Star Wars movie, Lourd is joining an all-star cast including Ansel Elgort, Emma Roberts, Taron Edgerton, and Kevin Spacey in the 1980s-set drama The Billionaire Boys Club. Between these projects and her spot on Scream Queens, she'll be keeping busy and keeping her family legacy alive this year, and hopefully for a long time after.