The late Carrie Fisher was the opposite of Donald Trump in nearly every way—witty, empathetic, self-aware, and, most importantly for the purposes of this particular sentence, unconcerned with having a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. For as we point out every time this particular piss-stained stretch of Los Angeles sidewalk comes up, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is not a lifetime achievement award bestowed by one’s peers—it simply means that the person in question was willing to pay $40,000 (as of 2017) and submit an application to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce affirming that a) they’re famous and b) will show up for the unveiling ceremony. Fisher wasn’t really into that kind of shit.
The reason we’re bringing Donald Trump into this, lone commenter already typing out a paragraph bemoaning the liberal takeover of The A.V. Club, is because yesterday we told you that the West Hollywood City council passed a resolution asking the Chamber of Commerce to remove Donald Trump’s star from the Walk of Fame. Not only would it really piss him off, but persistent protests and vandalism of the star have presumably become quite a headache for the city, heartwarming stories of vandals bailing each other out notwithstanding. Also, as West Hollywood mayor Pro Tem John D’Amico put it, “earning a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is an honor. When one belittles and attacks minorities, immigrants, people with disabilities or women—the honor no longer exists.”
Enter Fisher’s co-star and friend Mark Hamill with a solution:
It’s worth noting that Fisher has already received a tribute on the Walk of Fame, albeit an unofficial one: Shortly after her death in December 2016, fans wrote “Carrie Fisher- may the Force be with you always” on an empty star, turning the site into an impromptu memorial with flowers, candles, drawings, Star Wars memorabilia, and cinnamon rolls in honor of her iconic Princess Leia hairstyle. At the time, a Walk of Fame employee told the Los Angeles Times, “I don’t know why. Maybe she did not want a star. I’ve never seen an application for her.”
Hamill, meanwhile, unveiled his star earlier this year, for which we will not judge him, because maybe it meant a lot to him personally. We can’t help but think Carrie Fisher would have roasted him for it, though.