The Sweetest Photos of Carrie Fisher Behind the Scenes on' Star Wars'

Getting Touched Up for The Last Jedi

Carrie Fisher had completed filming her role as Leia for the new Star Wars movie months before her sudden death in December 2016 at age 60.

Behind the Scenes of 1980's Empire Strikes Back

Rian Johnson, the writer-director of The Last Jedi, instantly connected with Fisher, who built a career as an accomplished author and screenwriter after becoming an icon as Princess Leia.

"She was constantly pitching one-liners," he said. "I would sit down with her for an hour and come back with like, 300 crazy wordplay puns written in my notebook. Then on set, she really gave a beautiful, complete performance."

On Set of 1977's A New Hope with Mark Hamill

"I'm selfishly mad that she's not here to make me laugh. But I'm also grateful for all that she was able to give us while she was here. It has not been easy," Hamill, her onscreen brother and offscreen friend since the original 1977 Star Wars, told PEOPLE.

With Chewbacca on Empire Strikes Back Set

Johnson says nothing could have prepared them for her untimely death.

"It's very obvious we didn't know this was going to be the last time we'd see Leia in these movies," he said. "That said, I find it very powerful when I see her in this film."

Joking with Stormtroopers on Empire Strikes Back

"Carrie lived her life the way she wanted to, never apologizing for anything, which is something I'm still learning," Daisy Ridley said of Fisher to Vanity Fair. " 'Embarrassed' is the wrong word, but there were times through it all when I felt like I was … shrinking. And she told me never to shrink away from it — that it should be enjoyed."

Dancing with Anthony Daniels on Empire Strikes Back

John Boyega recalled how Fisher had kind words for him following backlash from several detractors over the casting of a Black actor as a stormtrooper. "I remember — and forgive me, I'm going to drop the f-bomb, but that's just Carrie — she said, 'Ah, boohoo, who f—- cares? You just do you,' " he told Vanity Fair. "Words like that give you strength. I bore witness in a million ways to her sharing her wisdom with Daisy too."

Having a Good Time on Set of A New Hope

"Carrie was one-of-a-kind … brilliant, original," Harrison Ford said in a statement to PEOPLE. "Funny and emotionally fearless. She lived her life, bravely … We will all miss her."

Getting Her Hair Bunned on A New Hope

Asked to comment on her passing, Hamill told Vanity Fair, "I can't say that phrase, what you just said: Carrie's name and then the d-word. Because I think of her in the present tense. Maybe it's a form of denial, but she's so vibrant in my mind, and so vital a part of the family, that I can't imagine it without her. It's just so untimely, and I'm so angry."

On Set of A New Hope

"We were really attracted to each other," Hamill shared with Vanity Fair. "We got to the point where we were having our make-out sessions — and then we pulled back. A great way to cool any amorous feelings is laughter, and Carrie had this sort of Auntie Mame desire to find humor in everything. We also realized that, if we did this, everything would fundamentally change. It's the When Harry Met Sally plot — can we still be friends after intimacy? Wisely, we avoided that."