In 2008, the late Carrie Fisher told local news station ABC7 that she was "a better writer than an actor," before demonstrating her way with words by joking that people always told her to "act better than she felt."
But what about a bit of both? Her one-woman show Wishful Drinking, which she later adapted into a humorous memoir of the same name, allowed her to act her way through her own words. She premiered the show at the Berkeley Repertory Theater, leading to that 2008 interview with ABC7, which the station has just republished.
Recalling the production, one commenter to the Berkeley Rep's Facebook page writes that "this was the best, most-creative, most memorable one woman show I've ever attended. I feel as if I got to know Carrie through this work. I will miss her greatly."
Adds another "Great show. I so loved hearing her tell the Hollywood story of who begat whom, ultimately ending in her dating a relative."
In an article about the show from 2008, the Chronicle writes that Fisher workshopped the show in her living room with writer friends like Helen Fielding of Bridget Jones's Diary stopping by for edits.
"For me, (this show) is a version of control," Fisher told the paper. "If I go into rehab, it's in the paper. If I go in the mental hospital, it's in the paper. So what I've done is control my version of those experiences. If I can describe my problems, then by definition I have them; they don't have me.
As one of the many tributes to Fisher since her death this week, HBO is airing the feature-length movie adaptation of the Wishful Drinking from 2010 according to Deadline. The film includes footage of the stage performance, interviews with Fisher's family and friends, and archival footage.
Finally, a note that the book version of the work is also the source of a popular quote being passed around in light of Fisher's death. That's a remark in response to Star Wars director George Lucas telling her that undergarments could be dangerous when worn in space. "Now I think that this would make for a fantastic obit," Fisher wrote, "so I tell my younger friends that no matter how I go, I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra."
