‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Writers Address Lando’s Sexuality

Shortly after his debut in The Empire Strikes Back, Lando Calrissian turned his charms towards Princess Leia, with Billy Dee Williams‘ portrayal of the character making him the galaxy’s most eligible bachelor. In the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story, Lando’s sexual prowess is so intense that he doesn’t necessarily limit himself to pursuing one gender, or to pursuing one species.

“I would say yes,” Jonathan Kasdan answered when The Huffington Post asked him if Lando was pansexual. “There’s a fluidity to Donald [Glover] and Billy Dee’s [portrayal of Lando’s] sexuality.”

Due to the intervention of Darth Vader in Empire and then the many dangerous missions depicted in Return of the Jedi, audiences didn’t get much more of Lando’s charms than his first interactions with Leia on Cloud City. Kasdan claimed that it isn’t far-fetched to assume Lando would have had enough love for anyone who caught his fancy.

“I mean, I would have loved to have gotten a more explicitly LGBT character into this movie,” Kasdan noted. “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.”

While Solo does help shed light on the backgrounds of many familiar Star Wars characters, it doesn’t offer concrete details that these characters must adhere to.

“He doesn’t make any hard and fast rules. I think it’s fun,” Kasdan said of Lando’s romantic interests. “I don’t know where it will go.”

Jonathan co-wrote the film with his father Lawrence Kasdan, who was a little more cryptic when discussing the matter. At one point in the film, Lando’s robotic companion L3-37 jokes that Lando and Han are flirting, with some audiences claiming this confirms there was a genuine attraction between the smugglers.

“That is her personality. Maybe it means something, maybe it doesn’t,” Lawrence shared.

The romantic interests of its main characters weren’t addressed directly, though Jonathan did admit he intentionally incorporated one line of dialogue in Solo in hopes of establishing the various definitions of “attractive” in the galaxy far, far away.

“There’s a line that [Jon Favreau’s character, Rio] has where he’s asking Han about the girl that he left behind, and he says, ‘Does she have big teeth?’” the writer noted of desirable traits in the film. “It’s a joke in the movie, but we did want to hit on this idea that people’s ideas of what they’re attracted to all over the galaxy are very, very different and not exactly as set as ours are.”

While many of the relationships between characters in the films are subject to interpretation, romantic relationships aren’t often addressed in the saga, let alone same-sex relationships.

Fans can see Lando when Solo: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on May 25th.

What do you think about Lando’s debonair demeanor? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

[H/T The Huffington Post]