Donald Glover: Lando Calrissian Role Is a Big Deal to Me

Donald Glover admits it’s a “big deal” for him to be playing Lando Calrissian in the Han Solo Star Wars anthology movie – because he was the “first toy” he ever got.

The 33-year-old actor has been cast in the famous role alongside Alden Ehrenreich, who will portray a young Han, and readily accepts there is a lot of pressure on him because of people’s love of Billy Dee Williams as Cloud City chief Lando in ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ and ‘The Return of the Jedi’.

But Glover had no hesitation in accepting the part because the Star Wars saga and Lando as a character played such a big part in his childhood.

Speaking backstage at the Golden Globe Awards – at which he received the Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy for his performance in Atlanta – on Sunday night (01.08.17), he said: “Lando’s a big deal. He’s the first toy I ever got … It’s interesting, when you have something iconic and people pay attention to it, it’s hard. You want to live up to the expectation, but you can only live up to your own.”

Glover has every confidence in the directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller – whose other films include 21 Jump Street, The Lego Movie and the upcoming Lego Batman Movie – and his co-star Ehrenreich and is looking forward to having a “fun time” on the Disney and Lucasfilm project.

He added: “I just want to have fun. I know the directors Phil and Chris and I love the guy who is playing Han. It’s gonna be a fun time.”

The Han Solo film will also star Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke and Woody Harrelson is reportedly in talks to join the cast as an early mentor to Ehrenreich’s Solo – originally played by Harrison Ford in four films.