Carrie Fisher will go down as one of the most enduring women in the history of Hollywood, and for good reason.
She is an icon of feminist grit, and aside from anything else she was an incredible actress whose role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars series will be remembered forever.
So it’s only fitting that her legacy lives on in the Star Wars universe, and so it will in the upcoming The Last Jedi.
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The director of the new film, Rian Johnson, has confirmed the late actress’ beloved dog Gary will make a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in the anticipated sci-fi sequel.
Fisher was a known lover of dogs and as such, it’s the perfect way to remember and honour her legacy for fans who have adored her for decades.
The French Bulldog was often seen at the side of Carrie before her untimely death on December 27 2016.
And now Rian Johnson has confirmed Gary is going to be a star in his own right, after speculation fuelled by a still from the film.
The image was obtained and published by Empire Magazine, and it shows Finn in conversation with new character Rose, only the most eagle-eyed will be able to spot it.
There was rumour and speculation about the little creature in the background of the shot, and whether Gary had in fact become Space Gary, so inevitably somebody tweeted Johnson for confirmation.
And, by jove, it was! Even Johnson himself seemed shocked that fans had spotted the tiny easter-egg, though he really shouldn’t be.
In today’s world, there is always someone looking just a little bit too hard at an image to try and get some form of fan theory about a tiny detail in the background of a shot – that’s just fan culture now.
To be fair, there’s nothing wrong with that, and if it weren’t for those beautiful nerds then we wouldn’t have this little gem of a fact right here.
Johnson tweeted in response to the question about Gary’s presence in the image:
YES! Wow, good eyes.
Incredible.
If you need any evidence of Carrie Fisher’s strength, wit, and unwavering refusal to adhere to Hollywood’s playbook, then look no further than her response to a producer who was known for sexual harassment.
Back in 2000, a friend of Carrie’s, called Heather Robinson, was sexually assaulted by an unidentified Oscar-winning producer, so what did Carrie do?
She sent him a cow’s tongue.
Carrie reportedly told Heather:
I just saw [blank] at Sony studios. I knew he would probably be there, so I went to his office and personally delivered a Tiffany’s box wrapped with a white bow.
It was a cow tongue from Jerry’s Famous Deli with a note that said, ‘If you ever touch my darling Heather or any other woman again, the next delivery will be something of yours in a much smaller box.’
In a world where it’s easy to get down about the abuse of power and authority – both culturally and politically – we all need to be a little bit more like Carrie.
If you want a little window into one of her loves then head over to Gary the dog’s own Instagram page in which you can see his antics in the California home of Fisher’s former personal assistant Corby McCoin.
