Billie Lourd is a name you might have heard a lot during the past couple of years. The young actress is slowly growing her career. Thanks to some initial success, her star is rising. With famous blood running through her veins, there’s no reason why Billie Lourd shouldn't be destined for stardom.
When you’re the daughter of Princess Leia (i.e. the late and great Carrie Fisher), there’s a lot of expectations on you. Billie is committed to keeping the legacy of her late mother and fan fave, Carrie Fisher, alive. Billie plans to do so while growing her own career in the Star Wars franchise, as well as in American Horror Story.
There’s a lot we still have to learn about this mini-Princess Leia...things are just getting started for Carrie Fisher's daughter, Billie Lourd. These are 20 things to know about Carrie Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd.
20 She Has Some Famous Parents
As mentioned, Billie Lourd is a name that you’ve probably been hearing a lot lately. Not only is she a great actress, she literally comes from Hollywood royalty. Her mom is the late actress, Carrie Fisher, who is best-known for playing Princess Leia in Star Wars. Billie’s father is Bryan Lourd, a well-known talent agent.
19 She Has Famous Grandparents, Too
Not only does Billie have famous parents, her grandparents are just as famous! Her grandmother is actress, Debbie Reynolds, and her grandfather is the famed singer, Eddie Fisher. Sadly, both Debbie and Eddie have passed away. Billie literally stems from Hollywood royalty...so much famous talent runs through her veins.
18 Not To Mention, A Famous Godmother
When you’re born into Hollywood royalty and have some of the most famous parents and grandparents, it’s only natural that you'll have a godmother that’s equally famous. Billie’s godmother is the one and only Meryl Streep. Meryl was very close to Billie’s mom, so it was only natural that she was connected to Carrie's daughter in some way.
17 Her Mom Tragically Passed Away
Throughout her life, Billie Lourd was always extremely close to her mother, Carrie Fisher. In December of 2016, Billie suffered a devastating loss when her mother unexpectedly passed away. Her mom was just 60 years old when she suffered a major heart attack and died. The world was shocked by the news.
16 Her Grandmother Passed Away A Day Later
As if losing her mother wasn’t tragic and heartbreaking enough, the very next day, Billie lost her grandmother, Debbie Reynolds. Debbie suffered a stroke; a blood vessel burst in her brain, and as a result, she passed away one day after her daughter, causing Billie even more heartbreak.
15 She Went To NYU
Although Billie was born into a very famous family, she didn’t follow their path completely. You would think that she would jump right into the acting world, however, Billie went to school instead. She studied religion and psychology at New York University, where she graduated with a degree in 2014.
14 Her Family Didn't Want Her To Be Famous
Perhaps the reason why she didn’t get into acting or singing right away was because of her family. Billie was very close to her mother and has said that Carrie was always supportive of her. However, Billie has said that her family didn’t want her to become an actress. They wanted her to pursue another career, which is why she decided to go to college.
13 Acting Came Naturally
Unfortunately for Billie’s family, once she graduated, she decided to follow in her mother and grandmother’s footsteps, so she jumped into the Hollywood acting world. When she got one of her first acting roles, she found that she was comfortable on set - it all felt really natural to her. But of course, it’s in her blood.
12 She Made Her Debut In Star Wars
Billie’s very first acting gig was a big one; Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It was a big deal for her to join the Star Wars franchise since her mother played such a huge, iconic role for so long. At first, people thought she’d be playing a young Princess Leia, however, she has her own small role as Lieutenant Connix.
11 Originally Auditioned For A Different Part
When Billie first auditioned to be in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, she tried out for the role of Rey, which is the movie's lead role. That role eventually went to Daisy Ridley, and Billie was given her small role. It wound up working out in the end because Billie got to act alongside her mom before she died.
10 Made Her TV Debut On Scream Queens
As if making your acting debut in Star Wars wasn’t big enough, she made her TV debut not long after. She was cast in the series, Scream Queens, in 2015 and she played a rich sorority girl named Chanel #3. Her character always wore earmuffs, which many speculated to be a tribute to her mother’s character, Princess Leia.
9 She Became An American Horror Story Star
Things took off from there for Billie; not long after the success of Scream Queens, Billie was cast in American Horror Story: Cult. Fans loved her on the show, so she soon became a main staple on the program, coming back for American Horror Story: Apocalypse and American Horror Story: 1984.
8 Her Father Remarried
Billie’s mother, Carrie, and her father, Bryan, never actually got married, even though they were together for three years and had Billie. In 2016, Billie’s father married his partner, Bruce Bozzi, the co-owner of The Palm restaurant chain. As a result, Billie has a stepsister, as her father adopted Bruce’s daughter.
7 She Hated Star Wars At First
One would assume that being the daughter of Carrie Fisher, Billie would most likely love Star Wars. In Billie’s case, it was pretty much the opposite. She’s admitted that growing up, she didn’t like the movies, and every time they were on she would scream and tell her mom that it was too loud.
As she got older, she began to appreciate the Star Wars world a lot more, especially when she saw how much it meant to the fans.
6 She Filmed Scenes With Her Mom After Her Death
After Carrie Fisher unexpectedly passed away, the writers weren’t really sure what to do with her character in the upcoming Star Wars films. As a result, they wrote a lot of the new movies based around the leftover footage that they already had of Carrie.
Therefore, there were some times where Billie had to film scenes alongside her mom. She knew it would be difficult, but Billie really wanted to have that memory that would last forever.
5 She Played Princess Leia In Secret
When Billie first joined the Star Wars franchise, many speculated that the reason she would be in the films would be to play a young Princess Leia. There was a scene in the most recent film that showed a flashback of Leia and Luke in Jedi training mode, and what many people didn’t realize was that it was actually Billie, with a little help from CGI and special effects.
4 Billie Saved Her Mother
Billie’s mother, Carrie Fisher, was very open about her struggle with mental health (as well as addiction issues) while she was alive. It was no secret that she went through a lot during her lifetime, and she was also very vocal about the fact that her daughter saved her. Motherhood wasn’t easy for Carrie, however, she stated that it was because of Billie that she kept going.
3 She Doesn't Want Her Mom's Dog To Steal Her Legacy
When Carrie Fisher was alive, she made sure the world knew how much she adored her dog — he even had hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers himself. However, after Carrie died, the dog went to Carrie’s assistant. The assistant wanted to take the dog to events to have fans interact with him and feel like they can still connect with Carrie.
Billie didn’t like this at all and has fought to stop it from happening - she feels like it cheapens her mother’s legacy.
2 She's A Star On The Rise
Since her mom and her grandmother passed away so unexpectedly, Billie has really become her own person. She’s become a star in the American Horror Story franchise, and her acting career has only continued to grow. We expect her to reach the same level of stardom as her parents and her grandparents.
1 Wants To Keep Her Legacy Alive
If there’s anything that’s really important to Billie, it’s keeping her mom’s legacy alive. While she was growing up, she saw firsthand just how important her mom was to Star Wars fans, and she has vowed to keep her mother’s memory and legacy going for many more years to come.