Star Wars reveals emotional first look at Billie Lourd filming Leia's Rise of Skywalker scenes

Star Wars has unveiled a first look at Billie Lourd filming scenes as Leia in The Rise of Skywalker.

Lourd, who is the late Carrie Fisher's real-life daughter, appears in the sequel trilogy as Lieutenant Connix, though stood in for her mum in one flashback scene in the latest movie.

In the sequence, a younger Leia trains as a Jedi with brother Luke. Lourd played the body double with her mother's younger face pasted over hers.

Related: Star Wars officially releases The Rise of Skywalker's final scene

In a new behind-the-scenes documentary for The Rise of Skywalker (via Good Morning America), the actress is seen filming her scenes as she opens up about standing in.

"It's literally a gift from her, or her forcing us to make her the star of the movie. Probably both!" she says.

Lourd later reflects: "Being back has been incredible, painful, surreal, all of the adjectives you can come up with probably I felt."

Related: Why Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker cut a key Kylo Ren scene

"Billie was playing her mother," ILM Visual Effects Supervisor Patrick Tubach previously explained. "It was a poignant thing, and something that nobody took lightly – that she was willing to stand in for her mom.

"It felt great for us, too. If you're going to have someone play [Carrie's] part, it's great that it's [Billie] because there are a lot of similarities between them that we were able to draw from."

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is available to pre-order on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K now.

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Sam Warner

Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International.  Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.