Billy Dee Williams Had Some Simple Advice For Donald Glover’s Star Wars Debut

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Lando Calrissian has a significant character arc in the original trilogy. When we first meet him in 1980’s “The Empire Strikes Back,” he is the leader of Cloud City on planet Bespin, a floating Switzerland of sorts that remains neutral in the battle between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. That all changes when the Empire arrives looking for the rebels, and Lando turns on his old friend Han Solo to save his city. However, Lando sheds his inner scoundrel by double-crossing the Empire and saving the rebels from certain doom.

By the third film of the trilogy, “Return of the Jedi,” Lando rises to the rank of General in the Rebel Alliance, completing his arc to bona fide hero. His mysterious backstory, rebellious nature, and cool demeanor quickly made Lando a fan favorite. But the character was important for another reason — he was one of the few signs of diversity in the entire galaxy.

In an interview with EW, Glover explained how he approached the subject of diversity with Williams. Glover said:

“‘Star Wars’ was such a big deal and then they make the second one and you’re kind of the first and the almost only Black guy in the universe at that point. I was like, How did you go into that? What were your thoughts? It’s always a big thing when you break a mold. What was the thought process of that? He gave some good advice about this, about being yourself as much as possible, making the character a real person, rather than the whole identity for a whole group of people.”

Glover would reprise his role as Lando when hosting “Saturday Night Live,” taking a jab at the “Star Wars” franchise by hosting a galactic summit for all Black humans, asking an audience of three, “Where the hell are all the Black characters in space?”

But as far as playing the part of Lando Calrissian for “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” Williams’ advice for Glover was quite simple.

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