Billie Lourd just made her first official public appearance since the passing of her mom and grandma, Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, and the occasion couldn't be more appropriate.
Lourd spoke at the "Star Wars Celebration" in Orlando on Thursday, and she honored her late mother's iconic role as Princess Leia. George Lucas and producer Kathleen Kennedy introduced Lourd at the event, and their tribute to Fisher will move you to tears.
"My mom used to say she didn't know where Princess Leia ended and Carrie Fisher began," Lourd said at the 40th anniversary event. "She went from being an unknown actress, the daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, to Princess Leia."
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She also thanked fans for their support of her mom, and her endeavors both on and offscreen.
"She was imperfect in many ways, but her imperfections and willingness to speak about them are what made her more than perfect," Lourd said of Fisher. "My mom, like Leia, wasn't ever afraid to speak her mind and say things that might have made most people uncomfortable, but not me and not you. That was why she loved you, because you accepted and embraced all of her."
George Lucas also recognized Fisher's incredible work on the franchise. "Carrie Fisher, I said… I said many times now, she really is a modern woman, and she isn't just a woman where you put guys' clothes on her and she becomes a hero," Lucas said at the event. "She was a princess, she was a senator, and she played a part that was very smart. And she had to hold her own with two big lugs, these goofballs who were screwing everything up. But it was her war."
In addition to the speeches, Lourd paid tribute to her mom through her outfit, a Princess Leia-inspired dress designed by Tom Ford. She also recited Princess Leia's monologue from the original Star Wars.
"Thank you for loving her and carrying on what she stands for," Lourd told the crowd. "I'm beyond grateful." It's hard to imagine there was a dry eye in the house.
May the Force be with you. #SWCO #StarWars40th pic.twitter.com/10zZ4TXqpQ
— Star Wars (@starwars) April 13, 2017