This Saturday is May 4th, a day that Star Wars fans around the world honor as “Star Wars Day.” Not only is actor Billie Lourd a fan of the series after having played Lieutenant Connix in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but as the daughter of Carrie Fisher, Lourd has been intrinsically connected to the franchise since she was born. In a unique opportunity for the actor, she has collaborated with eBay to curate a selection of both Light Side and Dark Side items, which honor all corners of the galaxy far, far away. You can head to eBay to check out the full inventory, including the Light Side Collection and Dark Side Collection. Auctions will end on Saturday, May 4th at 11:59 p.m. ET.
No matter what you might collect or what character in the Star Wars saga you most connect with, there’s something for everyone, whether that be autographed Marvel comic books or Funko Pops, or if you’d prefer to own a piece of cinematic history with items like a screen-used piece of the Death Star from Star Wars: A New Hope or Chewbacca’s screen-used bowcaster from the debut movie.
ComicBook.com caught up with Lourd to talk the collaboration with eBay, her own Star Wars fandom, and her future with the franchise.
(Photo: eBay)
ComicBook.com: I know you love Star Wars not only just because you’re a part of it, but that you are a fan as well. Whether you collected it on your own or whether you inherited it, do you have a most-prized Star Wars item in your collection?
Billie Lourd: I wish I had more. I actually am probably going to be one of the top bidders on this collection because I have become a crazy collector myself. My mom was a very generous woman and gave away a lot of her Star Wars collection, and I’m so mad at her about it, in the kindest way. But now, I have to collect myself. I mean, I have this amazing poster that’s above my mantle. The old Star Wars tagline used to be, “Have you ever looked up and wondered what was going on?” and so I have that over my mantle.
I have a few incredible, little, old Leia dolls and little action figures, but I’m so bummed that I don’t have all the things that I’ve curated in this collection. I wish I had endless money and could buy all of it because I want that Leia Funko Pop. I’ve got a Funko Pop of me, because I’m trying to make my kids like me more, and so it’d be cool to have my mom next to me. Then I wish I had that Topps card. I went to so many Star Wars celebrations with her and so many Comic-Cons and I never thought to grab them, and now I’m going to be sitting on this eBay option. Hopefully, it stays at 54 cents … It will not stay at 54 cents.
I feel like there might be some promo code that just comes, like you can just show your driver’s license to get an automatic 5% off the final bidding fee.
That would be amazing.
How did this whole partnership come about? How did this opportunity arise? And since it’s not, “Hey, here’s every Star Wars collectible imaginable. Here’s these specific items that we’re offering,” what was your approach to selecting the items?
This has been the most incredible gig I’ve ever had in my life because I’m A) a Star Wars fanatic, and B) an eBay fanatic. I am constantly on eBay. I’m actually obsessed. And, like I said, I collect Leia stuff now and so all of my best Leia shirts are from eBay, so getting to go through the list of items they sent me was so much fun and weirdly so difficult. There were so many cool things.
It’s amazing how eBay is the prime place to go to get Star Wars stuff, even for someone that should have the Star Wars discount like me, but I don’t. So it’s been absolutely unreal, but having to narrow it down was really, really difficult, but really fun. I wish I could buy everything. If I could have that Luke Skywalker-signed lightsaber, my son might love me forever. I think he’ll love me forever anyway because he’s my son, but I think he would love me extra if I had that.
There’s so many cool items. Not just stuff that’s more recent like, let’s say, a Funko Pop, but these artifacts from the original movies that have somehow survived 45 years.
The Chewbacca bowcaster, sorry to interrupt, I’m just so stoked about that. Why can’t that be on my mantle?
Well, that does make me wonder, you’ve talked about how you personally might be wanting to bid on some of these items, that if there is one that you’re going to be watching like a hawk, is there a specific item that you really, really have your sights set on?
Just because she’s family, that 1980 little action figure, the Leia action figure, would be incredible because I have a little section in my house that’s all cool Leia stuff and that would be an awesome centerpiece. But also, the lightsaber would be insane. My son is addicted to lightsabers.
We went to Disneyland last week and he made me do that build-your-own lightsaber thing and it was the coolest thing we’ve ever done. And now, we’ve been doing lightsaber battles in the living room because it’s a little bit dangerous. But if we had the original one, that would just be iconic. But I would never allow him to touch it and he would be really mad at me.
Yeah, might smudge that signature.
Might smudge that Mark Hamill signature.
I feel like you might be able to make a few calls to get Mark to touch up the signature just in case. Similar to that, was there an item that you thought, “How on Earth did this survive?” Because it’s not like when they were making Star Wars, they thought, “Oh, this is going to go into a museum someday.” Is there a thing that made you think, “How the hell did they find this thing?”
That Chewbacca bowcaster from, what is it, 1977? It’s crazy. That is bananas. I don’t have anything and it’s my mom, so how did that survive? What genius saved that? God, I wish my mom would’ve saved more.
What has this whole journey been like for you of looking back on the past, reflecting on the past, and introducing it to a new generation? You have your kids that you’re introducing to the movies, what has this whole experience, this process of preparing these items for May the Fourth, meant to you?
I mean, it’s such a gift. I feel so lucky that I’m able to pass this incredible legacy on to my kids and that my kids genuinely love it as much as I do. My son was looking through this collection with me and he was getting so excited just like I was. What a blessing that I have that, and that he can have that and my daughter can have that. It’s the ultimate family tradition, ultimate family heirloom. There are not words to express how lucky I feel to have Star Wars. It’s just so special to me.
Especially now that Star Wars is more of a continuum, there’s not a definitive ending to it and, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker wrapped up a specific storyline, so do you think you are now in a position where your role is more as an ambassador of Star Wars, like you’d rather just focus on the legacy and spreading it for generations? Or do you think you could see yourself coming back to it, bringing back Connix or being involved in it in some other capacity?
Bring back Connix! I would love to bring back Connix. I just would love to be involved in the universe in any way possible. I love being an ambassador. I wrote an essay called “The Keeper of Leia” and I love playing that role, but I also am obsessed. I’m a fangirl, so I would do anything. I’ll be a creature. I’ll do whatever. I’ll run a droid and do the controls from behind the scenes. Anything I can do to be involved in this universe, I would do because I just adore it so much.
I’d love to see the headlines, “Billie Lourd Makes Triumphant Return to Star Wars,” and you’re playing one of the members of the Hutt cartel.
I would do it all day.
You’re just moving his tail around or providing the laugh for Salacious Crumb.
Yeah, exactly. I will be a tail.
You can head to eBay to check out the full inventory, including the Light Side Collection and Dark Side Collection. Auctions will end on Saturday, May 4th at 11:59 p.m. ET.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. You can contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter.
