The force is always strong for Billie Lourd.
In the almost nine years since the death of the Scream Queens actress’ mom Carrie Fisher, Billie has made it a priority to make sure her children—son Kingston, 5, and daughter Jackson, 2, with husband Austen Rydell—know of Carrie not just as their grandma, but also as Star Wars’ beloved heroine Princess Leia.
“A year ago, I showed them [Return of the] Jedi for the first time, and they were a little bit confused,” Billie said to E! News in an exclusive interview. “They're like, ‘Wait, that's my grandma?’ Like, ‘No, that's Princess Leia, your grandma's Carrie, but that's Princess Leia.’ And they were just so enthralled. I sat behind them and cried while they watched it.”
She added, “It's like the ultimate high budget home movie. For me to get to have those things and to get to show them my mom in those movies is so special.”
So when Billie was presented with the chance to be the face of Columbia Sportswear’s newest Star Wars line—The Endor Collection, with pieces designed to pay homage to the costumes and creatures from the forested planet featured in Return of the Jedi—she said it “was the easiest yes” of her life.
Plus, not only did the shoot for the campaign take place in the Redwoods—the real-life filming location for Endor—but Kingston and Jackson got to join her on set, dressed in Ewok onesies from the new line.
“When my kids got to be involved, it was even more exciting for me,” the 33-year-old recounted. “It was a super emotional, incredible experience to get to go up to the Redwoods—we had never been up there. My mom and I loved to do this stuff together when she was alive, and this felt like something she sent me as a present from beyond.”
And Billie made sure to send a present back, finding ways to incorporate Carrie into her look for the campaign.
“She had this ring that she wore a lot in the last few years of her life that was this crazy moonstone,” she explained. “And whenever I am doing something that's meaningful to me and feels like a connection to her, I like to wear it. I wore it, and I kept touching it all day and looking at it and looking up at the trees, and it was just like this weird, out of body, incredible experience.”
The resulting photos will be an out-of-body experience for fans, too. With her hair in a braided updo, donning the same poncho Leia wore in Jedi, Billie is the spitting image of her mom as she faces away from the camera—walking hand-in-hand with her children.
As for Kingston and Jackson’s favorite Star Wars character? While Billie’s own Lieutenant Connix is a contender, the real answer is, “Princess Leia, baby!”
“They’re obsessed,” Billie continued. “I have some of these dolls that I don't want to take out of the box. I have a Leia shelf at my house, and they're like, ‘Why can't we take them out of the box?’ I'm like, ‘No. You'll understand later, but like, it has to stay in the box.’ So sometimes I’ll have to buy two and have one that they're allowed to play with.”
As she proudly put it, “They just love Star Wars.”
And for more of Billie and Carrie’s out of this world mother-daughter moments, read on.
Twinning
Billie posted this throwback photo on what would have been her mother's 61st birthday, 10 months after her death.
Baby Love
Billie posted this throwback photo on Mother's Day 2017, the first Mother's Day without Carrie.
All Smiles
The two share a sweet moment.
Billie Graduates
Billie poses with her mom and grandma Debbie Reynolds at her high school graduation.
May the Force Be With You
Billie and Carrie attend the premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which stars them both.
2015 SAG Awards
Billie poses with her mom and grandma Debbie Reynolds at the annual event.
Governors Awards 2015
Billie poses with her mom at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 7th annual Governors Awards in 2015.