(Left to right:) Billy Dee Williams in 2019, in “Empire Strikes Back”.Photo:Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage, Lucasfilm/Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock
Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage, Lucasfilm/Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock
It appears someStar Warsfans thinkBilly Dee Williamsis a slimy, double-crossing, no-good swindler.
“When I would pick my daughter up from school, the kids would run up to me and say, ‘You betrayed Han Solo!’” said Williams, 86. “I’d go on an airplane and the airplane stewards would say, ‘You betrayed Han Solo!'”
(Left to right:) Billy Dee Williams, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Peter Mayhew in “Empire Strikes Back”.Lucasfilm/Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock
Lucasfilm/Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock
Williams said he received negative feedback from various fans “for a lot of years. So finally, I said, ‘Look, think about the whole situation. You’re up against a pretty formidable character in Darth Vader. And then there’s, of course,Boba Fett. And these people were invading my space and I had to bargain with them.’
“But the bargain at least prevented the complete demise of Han Solo and his friends,” he added, calling the character’s arc a “pivotal, classic, dubious hero moment.”
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Williams recalled “explaining all this stuff” to outraged fans. “I finally said to people, ‘Look, I’m tired of explaining all of this.’ I said, ‘Did anybody die? Nobody died!’ I think that was a clear indication that Lando was trying to figure something out and he was trying to figure out primarily how to hold onto his situation without the complete demise of his friend.”
The actor, also known for his critically acclaimed work in 1972’sLady Sings the Bluesand 1989’sBatman, reprised the role of Lando in 1983 sequelReturn of the Jediand in the later trilogy’s 2019 conclusionThe Rise of Skywalker.
“He’s like, ‘Just be charming,'” Glovertold PEOPLEin 2018 of meeting Williams ahead of filmingSolo. “I took what he said… and amped it up.”
Soon Williams will release a new memoir,What Have We Here?(available Feb. 13), that encompasses his life as a husband, father, grandfather, painter and actor of nearly eight decades.
“I saw how absurd my life has been at times. And how fortunate it’s been,”Williams told PEOPLEin August of the book’s writing process. “I had fun reliving those memories. I hope it brings back memories for readers, too.”
Williams last appeared in an episode ofAnd Just Like That…season 2.
source: people.com
