Last night was the Academy Awards, and the film community and moviegoers alike are still reeling from the various wins and snubs from the illustrious ceremony. It was an unpredictable night, with quite a few favored outcomes being turned on their head. While those watching ABC were surprised when Glenn Close didn't win her first Oscar for The Wife, no one expected Green Book to take home the coveted Best Picture Oscar.
Green Book's producers took the Oscars stage to take the biggest award of the night, with the three men taking turns getting through their acceptance speeches before being played off by the Academy Award orchestra. Charles Wessler was the final member of the trio to take the mic, and took the time to thank late Star Wars icon Carrie Fisher. But the question is: why?
It turns out that Charles Wessler has actually contributed to the galaxy far, far away, and had known Carrie Fisher for decades. He was a production assistant on both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, with those iconic projects helping the future Oscar winner break into the film industry. He reportedly remained friends with Fisher over the years, up until the time of her untimely death in December of 2016. In fact, she even accompanied him on the red carpet of his movies such as Dumb & Dumber To. So once Wessler got the highest honor in the film industry, he was sure to thank the legendary actress/writer for her impact on his life.
Green Book's win for Best Picture was definitely a surprising one, as many believe that honor would be going to Alfonso Cuaron's Roma or Spike Lee's BlackKklansman. But that simply wasn't the case, and we watched as Green Book's producer ascended the stage to take most coveted golden statue of the lot. Among all the confusion and the following twitter explosion, one might have missed the quick acknowledgment of Carrie Fisher. And while Charles Wessler was the one who got on the mic to salute General Leia, his co-producers can be seen mouthing her name alongside him.
Carrie Fisher's acknowledgement during the Best Picture Awards speech shows how the late actress remains a beloved icon within the film world. Despite passing years ago, the loss of Fisher is still palpable to her generations of fans, as well as her colleagues from the industry. And she's luckily got one more on screen appearance ahead, as J.J. Abrams will bring Leia into Episode IX through unused footage from her last two appearances. No one's ever really gone, after all.
Carrie Fisher will return for Episode IX on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
