"This movie, it sends her off in an amazing, amazing way," Boyega told ABC News. "And she is still kept alive in this franchise. That's the beauty of it: She lives forever in a sense."

The Finn actor said when he learned of Fisher's death last December, "It was a strange, strange feeling. I felt like everyone in the cast went silent for a bit after that."

He also said Leia and Finn have multiple scenes together in director Rian Johnson's Star Wars installment. "We worked together closely on this," he said.

Before Fisher's untimely death in December 2016, Leia was expected to have a role in 2019's Episode IX. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has since said The Last Jedi was not changed to address Fisher's death, and that Leia will not appear in Episode IX.

The Last Jedi is due out in theaters Dec. 15.