Billie Lourd has shared a touching story about her late grandmother Debbie Reynolds and Halloweentown, revealing that the Hollywood legend deliberately took family-friendly roles so her granddaughter could enjoy her work.
Lourd spoke about the Disney Channel franchise while attending a PaleyFest New York event for American Horror Story: 13. Reynolds played the beloved witch Aggie Cromwell in the Halloweentown movies, becoming a favorite of a new generation of viewers.
Debbie Reynolds chose roles Billie Lourd could watch
According to Lourd, she was obsessed with the movies as a child. She explained that Reynolds wanted to make projects her young granddaughter could actually watch, adding a personal dimension to one of the actress’s best-known later-career roles.
Now Lourd is experiencing the story from the other side as a parent. She joked that her own children are not yet enthusiastic Halloweentown fans and that she may have to bribe them to sit down and watch the movies with her.
The actress also said Reynolds’ example has influenced the kinds of projects she would like to make, including more animated and family-friendly work that her children can enjoy.
A family connection across generations
Lourd is the daughter of Carrie Fisher and the granddaughter of Reynolds, giving her a unique connection to two generations of Hollywood history. She has frequently spoken about preserving their memories while building her own acting career.
Her latest story shows how a role audiences remember as seasonal Disney nostalgia also carried a deeply personal meaning inside the family. For Lourd, Halloweentown was not simply another movie in Reynolds’ career — it was something her grandmother made with her in mind.