Billy Dee Williams has spoken to Radio Times magazine about returning to the role of Lando Calrissian, and shares his thoughts on Donald Glover as a young version of the character he first brought to life in 1980’s Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
Speaking exclusively as part of a wider interview in this week’s Radio Times magazine, Williams was asked whether he would ever put the cape back on and play the character one last time.
He responded concisely: “Pay me a lot of money and I’ll sell my soul.”
Although he was the one to originate the character, Williams isn’t the only actor to have played Lando. Mr & Mrs Smith’s Donald Glover also took on the part, playing a young version of Lando in 2018’s Solo.
Glover is also currently working on a new Lando project, which he is planning to star in and which was originally a series, but recently transitioned into a movie.
Williams gave his thoughts on Glover taking on the role, saying: “He’s part of a whole new generation. He’ll create whatever he needs to create, to bring appeal to the character. 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.
“I took care of the 20th century, now he’s got to take care of the 21st.”
He added: “I had a nice little lunch with him. He’s a delightful young man. Extremely talented. But I don’t see him… I mean, when it comes to Lando Calrissian there’s only one Lando Calrissian. I created that character.
“I told him to be charming – two words! That’s all I needed to tell him. That’s all I could think of.”
Read the interview in full in this week’s Radio Times magazine, on sale now. Buy What Have We Here?, the new memoir by Billy Dee Williams, from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk now.
