I think deep down in our subconscious we all had an idea that Lando Calrissian wasn’t all that choosey about who he beds down with. We just didn’t know how much of an equal opportunity lover he actually is. In a conversation with HuffPo, Solo: A Star Wars Story writers Jonathan and Lawrence Kasdan revealed that Lando is actually pansexual. If you don’t know what that means, basically it’s that he can be attracted to anyone regardless of gender, gender identity, and biological sex. Jon Kasdan says…
“I would say yes. There’s a fluidity to Donald and Billy Dee Williams’ [portrayal of Lando’s] sexuality. I mean, I would have loved to have gotten a more explicitly LGBT character into this movie. I think it’s time, certainly, for that, and I love the fluidity – sort of the spectrum of sexuality that Donald appeals to and that droids are a part of.”
This is one of the small ways that Star Wars can evolve to reflect modern society, by making one of its prominent characters a member of the LGBTQ community, even if it’s done in a tangential way. It doesn’t change the way we look at any of Lando’s past appearances, although it may inform one particular scene in Solo. Kasdan is asked about it and plays coy, and all I’ll say is that Lando and his droid L3-37 (voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge) are teased to have a bond that’s unconventional, even for Star Wars.
I’ll leave it at that and you can find out the rest when Solo: A Star Wars Story opens May 25th.
