About one week ago, a new detail about Lando Calrissian entered the Star Wars canon. According to Solo co-screenwriter Jonathan Kasdan, the charismatic character—played in the original films by Billy Dee Williams and now portrayed by Donald Glover in Solo: A Star Wars Story—is pansexual. “Theres a fluidity to Donald and Billy Dees [portrayal of Landos] sexuality,” Kasdan told HuffPost—though the new film does not show Lando overtly engaging in a same-sex relationship. “I would have loved to have gotten a more explicitly LGBT character into this movie,” Kasdan added.
During a cast interview on Sirius Monday, Glover himself weighed in, confirming that he was aware of Landos sexuality. Furthermore, he posed this vital question: “How can you not be pansexual in space?”
The actor continued while his co-stars, Emilia Clarke, Alden Ehrenreich and Paul Bettany, cracked up around him.
“Theres so many things to have sex with,” Glover added. “Im serious. I didnt think that was that weird. Hes coming on to everybody. It just didnt seem that weird to me, cause it seems like if youre in space, the doors open. Its like, no, only guys or girls. No, its anything. This thing is literally a blob. Are you a man or a woman? Like, who cares? Have good time out here.”
Its true that Lando basically flirts with everyone and everything in Solo, from his droid, L3-37, to Han himself. And the off-screen reveal of his unconventional sexuality represents a milestone for the franchise—even if its the teeniest, tiniest step. For years, fans have lobbied the Star Wars brain trust to include more explicitly queer characters in the film series, rather than alluding to a characters nontraditional sexuality after the fact. Books in the franchise have included references to queer characters like Vice Admiral Holdo,, who was played by Laura Dern in Star Wars: The Last Jedi—but her sexuality isnt discussed in the film.
In the meantime, Star Wars fans have made do by imagining same-sex relationships between certain characters, like Finn and Poe (played by John Boyega and Oscar Isaac, respectively)—a bit of fanfiction that Boyega has given the thumbs up. “Oscar is always looking at me with love in his eyes, and I guess that the fans saw it,” he once said. “And then they realized that either [Poe] needs to chill or come out.” Until then, there will always be Lando, flirting across the galaxy with whatever ambles along his path.
Get Vanity Fairs HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Full ScreenPhotos:Bill Golds Movie Posters Were the Stuff of Hollywood DreamsYohana DestaYohana Desta is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.
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