Star Wars’ Billy Dee Williams Explains Justifying Lando’s Betrayal of Han Solo For Over 40 Years
Summary
- Billy Dee Williams justifies Lando’s betrayal of Han Solo as a necessary bargaining tactic to save Han and his friends.
- The actor faced backlash from fans who accused him of betraying Han Solo, but he points out that nobody died as a result of his actions.
- The future of Lando in the Star Wars universe is uncertain, but fans are eager to see Billy Dee Williams reprise the role and there are potential projects in development.
If there is one Star Wars subject that is still guaranteed to start a debate among fans, it is the betrayal of Han Solo by Billy Dee Williams’ Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back. The moment is one that has continued to haunt Williams for over 40 years, and often leads fans to confront him about his character’s actions.
In a new interview with Dagobah Dispatch, Williams has explained the way he negotiates his way around questions about Lando’s actions, including the justification that allows him to live with one of the franchise’s most shocking moments. Williams said:
“When I went to pick my daughter up from school, the kids would run up to me and say, ‘You betrayed Han Solo!’ I’d go on an airplane and the airplane stewardess would say, ‘You betrayed Han Solo!’ I got that for a lotta years, so finally I said, ‘Look, think about the whole situation. You’re up against a pretty formidable character, Darth Vader, and then there’s Boba Fett, and these people were invading my space, and I had to bargain with them. To bargain to prevent at least the complete demise of Han Solo and his friends. But I had to hold on to my whole situation.’ So I found myself explaining… to a point where I finally said to people, ‘Look, did anybody die? Nobody died!’ I think that was a clear implication that I was trying to figure something out, or Lando was trying to figure something out… primarily to hold on to his own situation, without the complete demise of his friends.”
Billy Dee Williams Supports Star Wars Leaving the Skywalker Saga Behind
Kathleen Kennedy wants to explore new characters and new worlds in the Star Wars universe and the original Lando Calrissian supports the decision.
Will Billy Dee Williams Play Lando Again?
The Star Wars universe has been bringing back many former characters in shows like The Mandalorian, but could Williams make a surprise return as Lando in one of the future projects of the franchise? It is always a possibility.
The future of Lando in the Star Wars universe could go in a number of different ways in the future. Having appeared in The Rise of Skywalker, at the end of the movie, a former stormtrooper approaches Lando, telling him she doesn’t know where she is from, which leads him to tell her that they will find out together. Whether this is something that will be addressed in the upcoming Rey-based sequel movie is yet to be seen, but there is little doubt that fans would be happy to see Williams back one more time.
In addition to this, a movie starring Donald Glover as Lando is also potentially still in the offing. In September 2023, Lucasfilm confirmed that the planned series in which Glover will reprise the role he first played in Solo: A Star Wars Story has now pivoted to become a movie. Although this film currently has no place in the upcoming slate of Star Wars movies, it seems that one way or the other, Lando will fly again. Whether any of these projects will be with Billy Dee Williams back in the role is something that we can only wait to see.
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