Carrie Fisher was in good company at the Star Wars: The Force Awakens' London premiere. The Princess Leia actress was supported by good friends James Blunt, Stephen Fry and her beloved dog Gary.
© Photo: RexCarrie Fisher was James Blunt's landlady in LA
The irrepressible Hollywood star had a ball posing with Stormtroopers and gamely trying to get the French bulldog to stay in one place. Stephen, who attended with husband Elliot Spencer, bonded with Carrie several years ago over the fact that they have both suffered from manic depression.
She has been close to soldier-turned-musician James ever since they were introduced by a mutual friend 12 years ago. When James, then an upcoming songwriting, made a bid to break America Carrie offered him a room in her house.
© Photo: Getty ImagesCarrie having fun with a Stormtrooper at the London premiere of the new Star Wars film
"I was incredibly lucky to meet Carrie in London. I needed a place to stay and she said I could lodge with her," the former Army officer explained. "She is an amazing person, my American mother in many ways. I recorded the album in the bathroom because she had a piano there, and we didn’t have the budget to buy one or hire a studio. I never asked her why she had it in the bathroom."
© Photo: Getty ImagesGary the bulldog has been hitting the promotional trail hard
As well as offering him this unusual recording space, the actress became his unofficial therapist.
She told the Independent on Sunday: "He'd never been to therapy and I've had enough for both of us, so we started talking quite deeply about his time in the army and the kind of impact that had had. And so on. So I was kind of his shrink/landlady."
Her kindness earned him a credit in the sleeve notes of the album Bedlam – which she also helped name.
© Photo: Getty ImagesGary posing with Harrison Ford and the rest of the cast
Meanwhile, Carrie's French bulldog has become a favourite with fans and, like the Beckhams' pet Olive, even has the ultimate celebrity pooch status symbol – his own social media account.
Tweeting under the handle @Gary_TheDog, he has 4166 followers and counting. One fan told Carrie: "@Gary_TheDog is so famous now. I would like a pawograph".
While this may seem barking, the bulldog has been hitting the promotional trail with Carrie, even sitting in his own director's chair during a TV interview on Good Morning America.
