Billy Dee Williams defended the right of actors to play characters using Blackface while conversing with Bill Maher.
The Star Wars actor, 87, stopped by Maher’s Club Random podcast in an episode posted Sunday on his YouTube channel.
When the topic turned to Laurence Olivier’s portrayal of the title role in the 1965 film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello, Williams was delighted by what he saw as Olivier’s parodies of the stereotypes associated with black people.
But the Real Time host, 68, who reportedly refused to abstain from smoking marijuana during an episode to interview the sober Steve-O, was surprised that Williams didn’t seem to see any problem with modern actors appearing in Blackface roles. . .
While Maher was concerned that any theater a Blackface actor performed in would be “bombed,” Williams said actors should be able to do “anything” to promote their art and history.
Billy Dee Williams, 87, defended the right of actors to play characters in Blackface while chatting with Bill Maher, 68, on his Club Random podcast episode on Sunday.
The Star Wars star fondly recalled watching Laurence Olivier’s 1965 Othello, in which he starred in Blackface, but Maher said he now considered himself problematic.
Olivier’s performance was widely acclaimed after its release in 1965, but the film has generated increasing controversy in recent years due to its use of blackface.
Williams admitted that he was ‘laughing’ at Olivier’s Blackface version of Othello because it ‘brought his ass out’, as the stereotype is that ‘black people are supposed to have big butts,’ which Maher said was now ‘problematic.’ ‘
“I fell over laughing,” Williams added, clearly delighted. ‘I thought it was hysterical! I loved! I loved!’
But Maher replied: “Nowadays, they would never let you do that.”
‘Because?’ Williams asked with a surprised expression.
‘Why not? You should do it!’ She continued as she leaned forward in her chair. “If you’re an actor, you should do what you want.”
Maher praised him for having a “great point of view,” but thought any theater presenting a play starring Blackface would be “bombed.”
The comedian reminded Williams that, in his prime, he acted in a climate where he couldn’t take on any role he wanted because of the color of his skin, although he called his current position “a great attitude.”
‘But it didn’t matter!’ The Batman actor responded, before saying it was important to “not go through life feeling like a victim.”
Williams said he “started laughing” because he thought Olivier was using stereotypes about black people to mock such offensive ideas.
But Maher replied: “Nowadays, they would never let you do that.” Williams leaned forward in her chair and replied: ‘Why not? You should do it!’
“If you’re an actor, you should do what you want,” he said, before stating that he avoids a “victim” mentality.
‘I refuse to go through life telling the world: “I’m pissed.” I’m not going to be pissed off 24 hours a day,’ she added before moving on to the next topic.
Williams may have been referencing the fact that he was passed over to play Batman villain Two-Face. After appearing as District Attorney Harvey Dent in Tim Burton’s 1989 hit Batman, Williams was excited to show the character’s transformation into the classic villain.
But Burton’s 1992 sequel, Batman Returns, introduced many new characters and did not return to several faces from his first film, and original plans to feature Williams becoming Two-Face were scrapped, according to geek’s den.
Instead, the rewritten film focused on Christopher Walken as Max Shrek and Danny DeVito as the Penguin to its two main antagonists.
When filmmaker Joel Schumacher took over the franchise from Burton with 1995’s Batman Forever, he returned to the Two-Face character, but cast Tommy Lee Jones in the role instead of Williams.
The film also featured a recast version of Batman, with Val Kilmer replacing Michael Keaton, and Schumacher had developed a relationship with Jones after she starred in his previous film, the 1994 thriller The Client.
Williams is best known for playing Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars sequels The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return Of The Jedi (1983), but also had major roles in Lady Sings The Blues (1972), Mahogany (1975), Fear City (1984) and Alien Intruder (1993).
He later reprized his role as Lando in 2019’s The Rise Of Skywalker.
He finally got the chance to play Two-Face when he voiced the role in the 2017 Lego Batman movie.
Although Olivier’s portrayal of Othello that so tickled Williams was a critical success upon its release in 1965, and garnered multiple Oscar nominations for the lead cast, it has become much more controversial in recent years.
Detractors not only object to Olivier’s use of Blackface, but also some of his mannerisms, as the late actor has been accused of playing into racial stereotypes about black people, although Williams clearly thought the actor and filmmaker intended to criticize those stereotypes.
Williams is best known for playing Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars sequels The Empire Strikes Back (1980; pictured) and Return Of The Jedi (1983), but also had major roles in Lady Sings The Blues (1972), Mahogany (1975). ), Fear City (1984) and Alien Intruder (1993)
Olivier’s Williams-tickling performance in Othello has been criticized in recent decades, not only for his use of Blackface, but also for the ethnic stereotypes he allegedly leaned into.
Although the practice of darkening the skin to portray people of color dates back centuries, modern American and British practices of using Blackface appear to have taken shape in the 19th century.
Blackface was a common part of minstrel shows in which white actors played black characters by darkening their skin with grease paint, shoe polish, or burnt cork.
When Blackface took hold at a time when slavery was still legal (and continued for decades after it was outlawed as Jim Crow laws terrorized black people in the US), the practice was used to actively mock of black people, rather than simply portraying them in a neutral way. light.
Because of that sordid history, even more modern attempts to use Blackface in performances intended to be positive or criticize racism have offended audiences and viewers.