Star Wars Actor Jokes About Carrie Fisher Groping Him the First Time They Met

Star Wars legend Carrie Fisher isn’t just remembered for her iconic role as Leia Organa in the beloved franchise. She’s also remembered for her humor and her spirit and nearly everyone who worked with her on the various Star Wars films has a humorous story about their experience working with her. That includes Greg Grunberg. Grunberg, who played Temmin “Snap” Wexley in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, recently shared his experience of the first time meeting Fisher, joking that the legendary actress groped him.

“I have such an incredible love for Carrie Fisher,” Grunberg told The Hollywood Reporter. “We hit it off very quickly. We’re both filthy, fun, prepared actors, and we have the same sense of humor. I gave her sh*t the minute I saw her. On The Force Awakens, my first scene was actually a scene where she’s cutting my character down, and then she walks towards me… She walked right towards me, wrapped her arms around me and grabbed my ass. And I didn’t even know her!”

Grunberg went on to explain that this was pretty much par for the course with Fisher and they bonded quickly, becoming fast friends.

“I was thinking, ‘This is Carrie Fisher! I’m such a fan,’” he continued. “So, she did that, and JJ [Abrams] walked up to me and goes, ‘Welcome to Star Wars.’ From that moment on, we became fast friends; Billie [Lourd] and I are close. We all just bonded in a really great way. I know she had that same sort of thing with other people because she has no airs. She just dropped everything for people; what you see is what you get.”

He also explained that Fisher loved to jokingly “tear into” him, recounting a time while shooting when he opted out of hanging out at her London apartment and she jokingly made a video ripping into him for skipping — something he now treasures.

“I also have videos of her just tearing into me,” Grunberg said. “One night we were on set, she said, ‘I have a flat here, and we need to have cast and crew over. Let’s get together. Why not?’ So, I was like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it,’ and Billie was like, ‘Yeah, that’s a good idea.’ And that was early in the day when we were shooting. At the end of the day, I had this suit on; I was exhausted, but it’s a party at Carrie Fisher’s place in London. So, I said that I was going to go back to my hotel, take a shower and meet them over there. So, I went back to the hotel, and I was wiped. It’s just the way I am; I’m old, and she’s a partier.”

“So, J.J. then called me from her apartment and said, ‘Carrie is furious.’ I heard her in the background going, ‘What the f**k is going on? Where the fuck is he? Are you kidding me?’ She was joking obviously, and J.J. then videotaped her saying, ‘Aw, Greg’s a little exhausted,’” he continued. “She did this whole thing, laying into me on why I should be there. There were people at her apartment, and she said, “Greg is the one who came up with this idea. He and Billie thought it was a great idea.” I am going to cherish that video forever.”

Fisher died in 2016 from cardiac arrest, her death coming just days after she had experienced a medical emergency while on an international flight. Her death had a major impact on the latest Star Wars trilogy, as the first film in the new trilogy, The Force Awakens, had only hit theaters the year prior. The Rise of Skywalker utilized previously-unreleased footage Fisher had shot for The Force Awakens to create her final Star Wars appearance, though her physical presence is — and remains — something that those who knew her continue to miss.

“God, I miss her, and I didn’t even know her for very long,” Grunberg said. “In the few years that I knew her, it really was an honor to be able to work with her and to be able to say that I shared that time with her.”