‘The Talk’: Billy Dee Williams ‘chuckled’ when JJ Abrams asked him to reprise Lando after 36 years for ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’
The highly anticipated 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker', releasing December 20, will see Lando Calrissian return to theaters after 36 years. It marks one of the longest intervals between onscreen portrayals of a character by the same actor in film history.
Billy Dee Williams on 'The Talk' December 11, talked about his reactions when he was first asked by J. J. Abrams to reprise his 'Star Wars' character. "I chuckled a lot. I just didn't expect it. I wrote it [playing Lando] off as an experience I'd been successful with. I didn't think anyone was interested in bringing Lando back. But I met J. J. [Abrams] whom I adore. He is a wonderful young man. I call him a young mogul. We sat and we talked and he wanted me to recreate the Lando persona."
As expected, secrecy was of the highest priority on the sets. Billy Dee Williams told the hosts, including guest host Vanessa Williams filling in for Sharon Osbourne: "You don't get a full script. You just get sides [pages of the script that are being shot during that day] so you know what to do. When the day is over, you have to give back the sides. So it's very, very secretive."
Billy Dee Williams also spoke about recent speculation about he being "gender fluid" based on the fact that he used masculine and feminine pronouns to refer to himself in an interview with 'Esquire'. In this interview, he had said: "You see I say 'himself' and 'herself,' because I also see myself as feminine as well as masculine," he revealed. "I’m a very soft person. I’m not afraid to show that side of myself."
On 'The Talk', he clarified his comments. "It was taken out of context. I am a follower of Carl Jung, who as you might know, was a contemporary of Freud. And he spoke of the anima and animus."
He clarified that all he meant to say was that "men should get in touch with their softer side, their feminine side." And then, channeling 'Star Wars' philosophy, he explained: "It is about balance."
'The Talk' airs Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. PT.
