Carrie Fisher's daughter, Billie Lourd, only started in Hollywood two years ago with a bit part in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. But according to a recent interview, the part that director JJ Abrams had her audition for was much bigger - like, 'central hero of the new trilogy' bigger. Yup, General Leia's daughter auditioned for the part of Rey.
When asked by Ellen DeGeneres how she got into acting, Lourd told the story: "JJ Abrams called me to come in for Star Wars because he couldn’t find someone for the lead. He ended up finding Daisy Ridley, who’s an incredible actress - so talented - but I went in and he ended up giving me this tiny role with a couple lines, and I was super excited. Didn't know what was gonna happen, ended up going and fell in love with it," she told the talk show host.
"I came home and my mom said, ‘This is really weird that you’re comfortable here. This is one of the most uncomfortable environments in the world. If you’re comfortable here, you should do this.' And I was like, 'What are you talking about?' 'You should act.'" Lourd said that shortly thereafter, she was reading for a part in Scream Queens and now she's a working actress.
After playing Chanel #3 on Scream Queens, Lourd moved to American Horror Story. This winter, she'll reprise her role as Lieutenant Connix in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. By all accounts, her career is taking off. Sounds like her mom would be proud.
