Movies - TV
Carrie Fisher Couldn't Wait To Kill Jabba The Hutt In Star Wars: Return Of
The Jedi
By MICHAEL BOYLE
Leia's treatment in the opening act of "Return of the Jedi" certainly qualifies as the male gaze in film. Like the rest of Luke's crew, Leia gets caught by Jabba as part of their plan to rescue Han Solo and is held captive by him; unlike the rest of the crew, however, she's forced to wear nothing but a metal bikini and a chain around her neck.
Jabba, along with the camera itself, constantly leers at Leia throughout the 1983 film, and the only saving grace is that Leia kills Jabba in the end. She takes the chain around her neck and chokes Jabba to death with it — an act that could be interpreted as the movie commenting on the objectification of women.
When asked in a 2016 NPR interview if she saw that act as "female empowerment," Fisher responded, "Oh, absolutely." As much as Carrie Fisher hated her metal bikini, she considered the resolution to this sub-plot as a worthy consolation and explained, "What redeems it is that I get to kill [Jabba]."
The actress continued, "I sawed his neck off with that chain that I killed him with. I really relish that 'cause I hated wearing that outfit and sitting there rigid straight, and I couldn't wait to kill him." Arguably, Leia strangling Jabba is one of the most satisfying moments in the entire "Star Wars" film series.