Carrie Fisher on Debbie Reynolds: 9 Heartwarming and Funny Quotes from a Daughter to Her Mom
Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds had a mother-daughter relationship for the ages: They had happy times and falling-outs, cared for one another in times of crisis, and even performed a nightclub act together. Both became overnight movie stars at a young age, and shared a penchant for disastrous relationships and a dislike for traditional feminine roles. Fisher and Reynolds understood each other in a way no one else could, and, remarkably, died one day apart this week.
Though Fisher clearly inherited some of her bawdy wit from Reynolds, she was the storyteller of the two, and frequently spoke of her admiration for (and occasional exasperation with) her mother. Here, just a few of the hilarious and heartwarming things Carrie Fisher said about Debbie Reynolds in her memoirs and interviews.
“If anything, my mother taught me how to sur-thrive. That’s my word for it. She would go through these amazingly difficult things, and the message was clear: Doing the impossible is possible. It’s just not fun.” – New York Times interview, 2010
Related: Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher Share Spotlight in Upcoming Documentary: ‘It’s a Love Story’
“My mother is a beautiful woman – she’s beautiful today in her 70s, so at 24, she looked like a Christmas morning.” – Wishful Drinking, 2008
“My mother is this fantastic character. Eccentric wouldn’t even quite cover it.” – New York Times interview, 1990
“Thank you, Mama, I mean, who’s a more bitchen parent than you, right? Seriously, there are no words. There are, however, a few dance moves.” – Acknowledgements to Shockaholic, 2011
Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds sing together on ‘Oprah’ in 2011:
“She has been more than a mother to me. Not much, but definitely more. She’s been an unsolicited stylist, interior decorator, and marriage counselor.” – SAG Awards speech, 2015
“She broke her ankle one night during a performance and went back onstage and sang ‘Tammy’ with her foot in a bucket of ice. She should be put on that thing with the four presidents — Mount Rushmore. Right after Teddy Roosevelt, but have his eyes looking down at her cleavage.”– New York Times interview, 2010
“She also annoys me sometimes when she’s mad at the nurses, but she’s an extraordinary woman. Extraordinary. There’s very few women from her generation who worked like that, who just kept a career going all her life, and raised children, and had horrible relationships, and lost all her money, and got it back again. I mean, she’s had an amazing life, and she’s someone to admire.” – NPR interview, 2016
“Now I have officially turned into my mother. In my family, to turn into one another, we do nightclub acts.” – Interview promoting her one-woman show “Wishful Drinking” on Today, 2012
Related: How Carrie Fisher Helped Create the ‘Star Wars’ Legend
“As a kid, I remember thinking, there is no other mother that even comes close to my mom. Then I became a teenager and thought she was an ass**** because let’s face it – it’s a teenager’s job to find her parent annoying and ridiculous – just ask my daughter. Anyway, after I was finished thinking she was this trippy lunatic, I realized that she was pretty f***ing amazing. I mean, she’s loyal, she’s reliable, she’s just totally great. Seriously. She’s also really quick, and she can be really, really witty. She also still performs at the age of seventy-six… I’ve watched her for my whole life, and she’s got this insanely strong life force. It pours through her veins and her muscles, and her heart. She’s remarkable.” – passage from Wishful Drinking, 2008
Debbie Reynolds’ Memorable Film Roles:
Carrie Fisher’s Memorable Film Roles:
