By: Dylan Kemp
The legendary actor and singer, Billy Dee Williams, well known for his role as Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars franchise recently sat down with Esquire magazine and took the opportunity to say he now identifies as gender fluid.
“I say ‘himself’ and ‘herself,’ because I also see myself as feminine as well as masculine,” he said. “I’m a very soft person. I’m not afraid to show that side of myself.”
“I never tried to be anything except myself,” Williams added. “I think of myself as a relatively colorful character who doesn’t take himself or herself too seriously.”
When told that ahead of his debut as Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story, that Donald Glover discussed embracing gender fluidity, Williams lit up, saying, “Really? That kid is brilliant — just look at those videos,” he said, referencing Glover’s song “This Is America”.
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Williams stated that “There’s a fluidity to Donald and Billy Dee Williams’ [portrayal of Lando’s] sexuality. I mean, I would have loved to have gotten a more explicitly LGBT character into this movie. I think it’s time, certainly, for that, and I love the fluidity—sort of the spectrum of sexuality that Donald appeals to and that droids are a part of.”
