Who Is Carrie Fisher's Daughter?

Carrie Fisher was one of the best-known celebrities of her generation: an actress, a writer, an outspoken advocate for mental health, and — of course — a princess extraordinaire. But as famous as Fisher was, her daughter, Billie Lourd, has a shockingly low profile for the daughter of Hollywood royalty. Here's everything you need to know about this talented newcomer before she becomes a household name.

Until the next Star Wars flick hits the big screen, the best time to see Billie Lourd in action is on the nights Ryan Murphy's camp horror-comedy Scream Queens airs on FOX. Lourd plays Chanel #3 on the show, where she often appears in a pair of earmuffs that look an awful lot like a certain intergalactic space princess' signature hairstyle. Although the earmuffs have a scripted explanation — Chanel #3 lives in perpetual terror of having her ears cut off, you know, as one does — Star Wars fans have long speculated the accessory might also be an homage to Lourd's famous mom, and nobody has explicitly said they're wrong, so...

Considering her Hollywood pedigree, you'd be excused for thinking Billie Lourd was groomed from birth to enjoy a life of stardom on the silver screen. But in fact, the young actress was strongly discouraged from pursuing the family business by both her mother and grandmother. In one interview, Lourd revealed how grandma Debbie Reynolds coughed up a cautionary tale about the downsides of showbiz in the form of her own diaries from the set, in the hopes that the horrors therein would scare Billie away.

"It's a binder of loose-leaf papers written in the second person," she said. "'Dear Debbie, you're sitting in the makeup chair, you have no eyebrows, you're a shell of yourself, and it's 5 a.m. How did you get here?'"

Once Lourd had determined that she wanted to pursue a career onscreen, though, she used the diaries to internalize a different message: "Her advice would be to keep true to yourself and don't lose yourself. Or your eyebrows."

Most incredibly: thanks to Carrie Fisher's concerted efforts to keep her daughter anchored in the real world, Billie never even stepped foot on a movie set until she made her debut in Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens.

If Billie Lourd ever wants to quit showbiz, she could definitely have a second life as her own online brand. Some stars struggle to find a balance on social media, let alone to make their posts engaging and witty. But clearly, you can count a sharp sense of humor, a creative way with words, and a spotlight-grabbing stage presence among the traits Lourd inherited from her mom. Her Instagram is like a gorgeous curated gallery of perfect poses, expert hashtags, and just the right percentage of pictures of dog. And her username? It's @praisethelourd, of course. Hallelujah, Amen.

If you followed Carrie Fisher on social media before her untimely passing, you probably got to know her other child: a snazzy French bulldog, Gary Fisher, whose tongue adorably defied the basic laws of both physics and general decency. Gary was a star on Carrie's Twitter account and a frequent guest during her interviews, premieres, and red carpet appearances related to Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens (including this one, where he memorably tried to show BB-8 who was boss.) But if you want to see the famous Frenchie now, you'll most likely find him by Billie Lourd's side (or at least on her Instagram), since she adopted him in accordance with her mother's wishes after her death. Fortunately, Lourd was already a dog lover; her own bulldog, Tina, is reportedly Gary's best friend.

Considering Carrie Fisher's outspokenness and take-no-shizz attitude toward sexism, it should surprise no one to learn her daughter was raised to be just as resilient — in a way that transcended gender entirely. In a 2016 interview with Scream Queens creator Ryan Murphy, Billie Lourd explained how her mother's feminism informed her approach to parenting as follows:

She told me to be true, and kind, and confident in yourself. She raised me to not think of men and women as different. She raised me without gender. It's kind of the reason she named me Billie. It's not about being a strong woman – it's about being a strong person. She once told me, 'I never sat you down with a credo. It was more about leading by example.'"

Needless to say, Lourd is carrying on her mother's legacy by being an outspoken feminist herself, and by paying close attention to issues like womens' representation in Hollywood.