Billy Dee Williams Said Actors Should Be Allowed To Do What They Want Including Blackface

During a recent appearance on Bill Maher’s podcast “Club Random with Bill Maher,” actor Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian) discussed the parameters placed on actors today when it comes to things like “blackface.”

Of course, by this point in the interview, they seem to have had a few drinks, so I’m not sure he would say this under other circumstances.

Here’s what Williams said:

Williams cited the performance of Lawrence Olivier’s performance of ‘Othello’ where we wore blackface and apparently pushed his butt out, saying, “When he did Othello, I fell out laughing. He stuck his a$$ out and walked around with his a$$ because Black people are supposed to have big a$$es…I thought it was hysterical. I loved it!”

Bill Maher pointed out that actors would not be allowed to do that today, and Williams said that they should be allowed to responding,“Why not? You should do it. If you’re an actor, you should do anything you want to do.”

Maher pointed out that Williams is 87 now (Wow! Go him!) and that he lived in a time when he couldn’t play the roles that he should have played. 

Williams replies “It shouldn’t matter. The fact is you discuss it…The point is, you don’t go through life feeling like, ‘I’m a victim.’ I mean, I refuse to go through life saying to the world, ‘I’m pissed off.’ I’m not gonna be pissed off 24 hours a day.”

I just thought it was an interesting perspective from an actor who has been working for a long time. Since he’s a person of color, it’s even more interesting to hear him say that he feels that actors should do what they feel they can do. Of course, that doesn’t mean one won’t receive backlash for doing it.

You can watch the clip from the show below.

What do you think? Comment and let us know!