More often than not, celebrities poke fun at religion. But this time, the force was with faith.
Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher told the British film industry to “get a life” last week after it banned an ad from playing before Star Wars screenings. The ad, created by the Church of England, shows clips of different people reciting the Lord's Prayer and ends with the message “Prayer is for everyone.”
The Digital Cinema Media, which regulates advertising for major British cinemas, prohibited the ad because it could offend moviegoers “of different faiths and indeed of no faith.”
When the Daily Mail asked the 59-year-old star about the minute-long ad, Fisher reacted with surprise, saying she had “no idea” why the film industry made that decision.
“Offended? No. People should get a life,” Fisher continued. “I don't think it is offensive to have a ‘power of prayer’ advert before Star Wars.”
Fisher, who starred in the original Star Wars trilogy, will again play Princess Leia in the upcoming Star Wars: Force Awakens hitting theaters Dec. 18 in the U.S.
The daughter of Protestant actress Debbie Reynolds and Jewish singer Eddie Fisher, Fisher compared the advertisement to a Gideon’s Bible in hotel rooms.
“I have never seen an advertisement like this, but if the theatre is like a hotel room, then they have every right to put up a power of prayer advert,” she stressed. “It's advertising, so it has to be advertisers that are objecting."
