Everyone Is Celebrating ‘Star Wars’ Actor Billy Dee Williams Apparently Describing Himself As Gender Fluid

(UPDATE 12/5: Williams has clarified his use of pronouns while speaking to The Undefeated and stated that he is not gender fluid.)

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Original post:

When the Star Wars prequel film Solo was released, one of the bigger talking points was the sexual orientation of Donald Glover’s young Lando Calrissian. Writer Jonathan Kasdan said in an interview that Lando was, indeed, pansexual, and both Glover himself and his performance in Solo gave credence to this view. At the same time, however, this aspect of the Lando character was never explicitly divulged or dealt with in the film, so the question has remained largely unanswered. As for Billy Dee Williams, the actor who originated the role in The Empire Strikes Back, it’s far more personal.

That’s because, as he discussed in a fantastic profile in Esquire magazine last week, he considers himself gender fluid. “And you see I say ‘himself’ and ‘herself,’ because I also see myself as feminine as well as masculine,” he says of his habit of referring to others — as well as his or herself. “I’m a very soft person. I’m not afraid to show that side of myself.” Williams, who will reprise his older Lando Calrissian in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker later this month, never specifically uses the term “gender fluid” to identify himself, but he also doesn’t deny it.

In fact, when the Esquire writer connects his comments to those of Glover and the conversation surrounding his younger Lando in Solo, Williams delights in this. “Really That kid is brilliant,” he exclaims before referring to his counterpart’s musical career. “Just look at those videos.”

Needless to say, Williams’s willingness to accept and immerse himself in gender fluid language — not to mention his own gender fluid identity — quickly caught the attention of social media and exploded.