Carrie Fisher’s longtime friend and ‘This Is Us’ actor Nicky Pearson detailed her reaction to the ‘space buns’ in his new book ‘The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir.’ The Times quoted the excerpt mentioning Fisher’s concerns as follows:
“Carrie grew anxious as the release date for Star Wars — May 25, 1977 — 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.’”
The Hairstyle Was A Symbol Of Revolution
The ‘space buns’ only appeared in ‘A New Hope’ but became a symbol of revolution in the franchise. George Lucas said that was the goal all along. He revealed to Time in 2002 that Mexican revolutionary hero Clara de la Roche was the inspiration for the look:
“In the 1977 film, I was working very hard to create something different that wasn’t fashion, so I went with a kind of Southwestern Pancho Villa woman revolutionary look, which is what that is. The buns are basically from turn-of-the-century Mexico. Then it took such hits and became such a thing. In the new trilogy, the same thing applies, to try and do something timeless. I’m just basically having a good time.”
Leia’s Legacy Continued In The Following Films
Carrie Fisher confirmed Lucas’ vision for Princess Leia in a 1977 chat with BBC:
“George didn’t want a damsel in distress, didn’t want your stereotypical princess—he wanted a fighter, he wanted someone who was independent.”
Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, wore buns similar to her mother’s as a member of Resistance in ‘The Force Awakens.’ Lourd played Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix in the sequel trilogy. She recently shared interest in reprising her ‘Star Wars’ role.