Carrie Fisher goes full method during the filming of The Last Jedi and brings Oscar Isaac along with her.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Now repeat that 37 more times. In the blooper reel for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, you can watch Carrie Fisher land 41 heavy slaps across the cheek of Oscar Isaac. That’s acting!…that’s acting?
I know some of you would pay good money to have Carrie Fisher smack you across the face on repeat (I certainly would), but after bearing witness to these 37 seconds of brutality, I find myself tormented by the question of “Why so many?” Was that really necessary, Carrie? Were you just having a little too much fun hazing the new guy? Could you have stopped after 12 smacks or maybe 21?
Bask in the glory of Carrie “The Meat Tenderizer” Fisher and then get back to me.
Isaac told Vanity Fair last Summer that “She loved hitting me. Rian found such a wonderful way of working with her, and I think she really relished it.” I guess once Carrie gets warmed up, you simply don’t say no to her. If you’re Isaac, are you going to deny the legend? If you’re Rian Johnson, do you ask her to reign it in? No way.
Johnson tweeted out that the 41 slaps occurred on Isaac’s first day of shooting. The scene sort of works like a little metaphorical punishment precursor that some fanboys would unleash upon the director after The Last Jedi’s release. If Poe Dameron could take the beating with a smile, Johnson can brush off whatever tweet-storm comes his way.
It was Oscar’s first day. Somehow he still speaks to me. https://t.co/TlKkmKs8Fp
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) March 27, 2018
Still, if I could transport myself back in time to visit any particular day on set, it would be this one. I want to be in Isaac’s dressing room afterward. I want to hear his personal remarks after surviving such a thrashing. Did those 41 slaps put him in the moment, or just have him reaching for an ice pack.
Having watched the reel a half dozen times, I actually find it to be a rather emotional experience. All joking aside, those 41 slaps certainly speak to the persona Carrie Fisher spent a lifetime creating. She didn’t take shit from anybody, but she also knew how to have fun. Putting Isaac through the ringer seems like the perfect anecdote to another one of her memoirs that will never be written. The blooper reel only goes to highlight the loss we’ve all experienced in her passing. It’s a heartfelt experience.
The rest of the special feature is filled with your typical flubs, character breakdowns, and set-hijinks. Those looking to ship Poe and Finn will find encouragement from Isaac. Keep that slash fiction coming, folks.
The blooper reel closes with Mark Hamill behind the stick of an X-Wing. As he pulls himself out of a scene that was never meant to be, he cheerfully exclaims, “Thanks for the memories.” I’m not crying, you’re crying! This video barely lasts a minute and thirty seconds, and it takes you from pondering the majesty of those 41 slaps to wiping away wistful tears.
Related Topics: Carrie FIsher, Oscar Isaac, Star Wars, The Last Jedi
