“Star Wars” icon Billy Dee Williams floored liberal comedian Bill Maher while arguing that actors should be allowed to perform in “blackface.”
On Sunday’s installment of the “Club Random” podcast, Williams spoke about his past friendship with acting legend Laurence Olivier.
He then pointed to Olivier’s Oscar-nominated performance as Othello in the 1965 film adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Othello,” which the British performer famously donned black make-up, something Maher noted was “problematic.”
Except the black make-up wasn’t what had Williams “laughing.”
“When he did ‘Othello,’ I fell out laughing,” Williams said. “He stuck his ass up and he walked around with his ass, you know, because Black people are supposed to have big asses.”
“Oh, I understand,” Maher responded.
“I fell out laughing,” Williams chuckled. “I thought it was hysterical! I loved it! I loved it! I love that kind of stuff.”
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After Maher pointed out that “they would never let you do that” in showbiz today, Williams pushed back.
“Why?” Williams asked.
“Blackface?!?” a shocked Maher reacted.
“Why not?” Williams doubled down. “If you’re an actor, you should do anything you want to do.”
“That’s a great point of view, but the theater would be bombed,” Maher replied.
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The “Club Random” host pointed to how 87-year-old Williams lived through the era of Hollywood discrimination where Black actors couldn’t “play the parts you should’ve played.” But Williams maintained his stance.
“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,” Williams said.
Williams is best known for playing Lando Calrissian in the original “Star Wars” trilogy and has over 160 IMDB acting credits dating back to 1959.
