Billy Dee Williams Talks About His Meeting With Donald Glover and What Lando Is to Him
Last week a photo surfaced of Donald Glover meeting Billy Dee Williams to hang out and talk about their shared Star Wars character Lando Calrissian. Since then, THR managed to catch up with Williams and talk to him about meeting Glover, and in the process, he talked about Lando and what that character means to him.
The actor seems to have some mixed feeling about Lucasfilm bringing Lando back for another movie, but he also seems to like Glover! He says:
“He’s a very delightful young man, I must say. We had a very nice lunch and we talked for a very long time and it was very easy. He had questions about [Lando]. I guess he was doing what normal actors do, they just want to find out what direction they want to take so they gather their information. So, we just sat and talked and I didn’t want to impose on anything he wanted to do, he’s got his own ideas, I would imagine. I know he has his own ideas. He’s a very talented young man. In fact, I was listening to some of his music [Childish Gambino, Glover’s musical alter-ego] and it’s pretty good stuff.”
When asked about what kind of ideas Glover was proposing, he said:
“Not to any great extent, I think he basically just wanted to see me, meet me, get to know me a little bit and probably figure out a way to use me in developing his character.”
Glover has said in the past that he’s not as cool as Williams, and the actor had to agree with him on that. They asked if he gave Glover any pointers to being cool, and he said:
“Well, nobody’s as cool as me. [Laughs] That’s a tough way to go. No, I’m only joking.”
I don’t think he is joking, though. Williams knows that he’s the man. He previously talked about how the producers of Star Wars would leave Lando legacy. During the interview he was asked if he changed his mind on that since meeting with Glover and he still seems a bit conflicted:
“I don’t know. To me, I guess what it is that I identify so much with Lando. I mean, Lando has been very much a part of my life for over 30 years. When I go out and do conventions and stuff like that, even though people know me from all the other things that I’ve done, certainly [Lando] takes precedence. I just never thought of anybody else being Lando, I just see myself as Lando.”
He also said that this is a character he has no plans to say goodbye to.
"Well, eventually something else has to happen with it. But I’m not saying goodbye to that character. It’s still very much a part of my life. I created that character."
If Lucasfilm ever came knocking at his door and asked him to come back and possibly reprise his role, he wouldn’t turn down the offer. Who knows… maybe we’ll see him return for one of the upcoming Saga movies.