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Billy Dee Williams has been impressed by Donald Glover’s performing expertise, however stands behind the notion that “there’s only one Lando Calrissian.”
Williams, who performed Lando Calrissian in the Nineteen Eighties film “The Empire Strikes Back,” spoke to Radio Times about Glover’s portrayal of the role in the “Star Wars” franchise.
“I had a nice little lunch with him. He’s a delightful young man. Extremely talented,” he stated. “But I don’t see him… I mean, when it comes to Lando Calrissian there’s only one Lando Calrissian. I created that character.”
Billy Dee Williams portrayed Lando Calrissian in the Nineteen Eighties film “The Empire Strikes Back.” (Getty Images)
Williams instructed the outlet the recommendation he gave Glover forward of the role. “I told him to be charming – two words! That’s all I needed to tell him. That’s all I could think of,” Williams defined.
Glover took on the role as younger Lando in the 2018 “Star Wars” prequel movie, “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” According to Variety, a Disney+ sequence was introduced in 2020 for a restricted sequence targeted on the character.
Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Billy Dee Williams pose on the set of “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” in 1979. (Getty Images)
The outlet reported that in July 2023, it was introduced that brothers Donald and Stephen Glover took management of the “Lando” restricted sequence as writers and the challenge is now being become a film.
Billy Dee defined that Glover is taking the role in a brand new course.
Donald Glover performs Lando Calrissian in the 2018 “Star Wars” prequel movie, “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” (Frederic J. Brown/AFP by way of Getty Images)
“He’s part of a whole new generation. He’ll create whatever he needs to create, to bring appeal to the character,” he stated of Donald. “He’s a very talented young lad and very imaginative. I mean, it’s not for me to say what he should do with the character at this stage.”
Williams added, “I took care of the 20th century, now he’s got to take care of the 21st.”
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When Billy Dee was requested if he would ever painting the rebel-turned-hero character in a “Star Wars” manufacturing once more, the actor stated, “Pay me a lot of money and I’ll sell my soul.”
“Pay me a lot of money and I’ll sell my soul.”
In February, Williams wrote a brand new memoir, “What Have We Here? Portraits of a Life,” the place he detailed his rise to stardom in Hollywood, what it was like making his mark in the movie franchise, and the way, for a time, he fell out of favor.
He additionally hit again after a long time of being accused of betraying his good friend, Han Solo, who was initially portrayed by Harrison Ford.
Billy Dee Williams stated, “There’s only one Lando Calrissian. I created that character.” (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Disney)
“One thing I liked about playing Lando was that he was a bit dubious,” the 86-year-old instructed Fox News Digital at the time. “And I think that makes the character.… A good hero to me is a character that you’re not always quite sure of. And there was a certain uncertainty about Lando, which makes him a lot more interesting than just playing a straight good guy.”
“But he was a good guy,” Williams stated.
In the movie, Lando is depicted as making a cope with the Empire, which results in Solo (Harrison Ford) being captured and frozen in carbonite. It’s a second that shocked viewers, and the backlash was instantly felt.
Billy Dee Williams and Harrison Ford are nonetheless good associates immediately. (Getty Images)
“Lando was up towards Darth Vader and Boba Fett,” Williams defined. “He had to figure out how to prevent the complete demise of his friend Han Solo because they were buddies. Darth Vader and Boba Fett were on their tail. He was trying to buy time. But fans still saw it as a betrayal. And I had to deal with that. A lot of the fans had already fallen in love with Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker. They already had a huge following. Here I come along, and I create a situation that would conceivably create a problem for these people. I was seen as a problem.”
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“I found myself having to deal with people,” Williams continued. “When I would pick up my daughter from school, kids would come running up to me and say, ‘You betrayed Han Solo!’ Whenever I got on a plane, the flight attendant would also accuse me of betraying Han Solo. I ran into a great deal of that for quite some time.”
Williams wrote that wherever he went, he was met with soiled appears. Some would method Williams and publicly scold him. One man purchasing together with his teenage son checked out him and sneered in disgust, “I should put you in the deep freeze.” His son nodded in settlement. Parents at his daughter’s college did not assume twice about scowling at him in entrance of their kids.
Imperial stormtrooper and Billy Dee Williams pose for a photograph in 2005. (SGranitz/WireImage)
Eventually, Williams received “fed up with it.”
“I finally said, ‘Look, did anybody die?’” he recalled. “I was trying to do the best I could.… And I became part of the Force. I think that the character ultimately wasn’t a betrayal but a winning personality. And people just couldn’t resist him.”
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Billy Dee Williams, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Peter Mayhew on the set of “Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back.” (Getty Images)
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Fox News Digital’s Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.
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