The stars that line the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the names attached to them can draw out a lot of emotion – especially when it comes to who deserves one, and who doesn’t. The most recent example involves Star Wars legend Mark Hamill, who recently suggested on social media that the block of concrete commemorating Donald Trump should be replaced by someone else: the late, great Carrie Fisher.
Hamill’s since doubled down on his request, retweeting a news article from last year in which the West Hollywood City Council voted to urge those in charge of the tourist attraction to remove the Don’s star.
But despite the overwhelming amount of support, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce apparently has no plans to remove Trump’s award – or anyone’s for that matter. And in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, spokeswoman Ana Martinez went into detail as to why this probably wasn’t going to happen.
“We don’t remove stars,” Martinez said. “The stars are part of the history of the Walk of Fame.”
It seems that non-removal policy stands even in the face of vandalism. The president’s star, which he received in 2007 for his work on The Apprentice, has fallen victim to several protesters. In 2016, it was bashed to bits with a sledgehammer, and then completely destroyed by a pickax in 2018.
But there’s another, more logical reason why this change won’t be happening. According to Martinez, Fisher won’t be eligible to receive her spot on the Walk until 2021.
“We would love for Carrie Fisher to have a star, but the application has to be submitted on the fifth anniversary of her death,” Martinez explained.
“Also, how do we know that Carrie Fisher wanted one? We don’t know if she ever was interested. She was never submitted for a star. We have to have something in writing from the person –they have to sign off. [In this case,] her family would have to do that. We’ll gladly take the application on the fifth anniversary.”
Apparently, in addition to the application and the written agreement, there’d also be some additional costs involved. Martinez went on to say that the Fisher family would have to pay $50,000 worth of expenses and maintenance fees.
Of course, while the Star Wars icon may not be eligible just yet, it’s more than likely that she’ll get her due when the timing’s right. But she’ll at least be given some form of a tribute on the big screen come December 20th, once Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker wraps up the story Fisher started decades ago.
