Carrie Fisher gave a "beautiful and complete performance" in 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'.

Carrie Fisher

Carrie Fisher

The late actress tragically passed away in December 2016 when the upcoming eighth instalment of the popular sci-fi franchise - in which she reprised her role as Princess Leia - was already "deep into postproduction", and the movie's director Rian Johnson has said that although the editing team didn't change her scenes after her death, there's an "eerie resonance" to the context of her performance.

Asked if he altered the movie after her passing, Rian said: "When she passed away, we were pretty deep into postproduction. When we came back to the edit room after New Year's, it was so hard. We went through all her scenes. I felt very strongly that we don't try to change her performance. We don't adjust what happens to her in this movie. Emotionally, you can't help re-contextualise it, now that she's gone. It's almost eerie how there are scenes that have an emotional resonance and a meaning, especially now. She gives a beautiful and complete performance in this film."

For the 43-year-old filmmaker - who is a life-long fan of the 'Star Wars' franchise - working with the late actress and her co-star Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker, to be a surreal but "touching" experience.

He added to the New York Times newspaper: "It took a while before I could sit across the table with Mark and not, every three seconds, think, I'm talking to Luke Skywalker. With Carrie, I felt we connected as writers very quickly. She spoke her mind, man. They both did. Anyone whose life is that weirdly tied to a character like this, where you drop a script in their lap and say, 'Now it's this,' there's no way it's not a discussion. But they were both so engaged in the process, and trusting. The fact that both of them at some point said, 'OK, even if this isn't what I was expecting, I'm going to trust you' - that was really touching."

'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' also stars franchise newcomers Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Adam Driver, and is expected to hit cinema screens this December.

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