Photo: Disney
There’s a reason everybody loves Lando, you know.
Solo: A Star Wars Story is chock full of all kinds of interesting new background information about some of Star Wars’ most iconic characters, and one of the most significant revelations to come out of the film is as subtextual as it is important. In a recent interview with the Huffington Post, Solo screenwriter Jonathan Kasdan confirmed what a significant part of the Star Wars fandom has suspected about Lando Calrissian for quite some time now. Lando’s a ladies’ man, yes, but he’s by no means straight. When asked specifically if Lando was pansexual, Kasdan replied, “I would say yes.”
Historically, the Star Wars franchise has been doing very poorly when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation, which is weird when you consider the expansive nature of the universe. So when asked about Lando’s sexuality, it was nice to see Kasdan reply thoughtfully. He said that while the smuggler wouldn’t put a specific label on himself, he’d be even less likely to buy into the traditional ideas about sexual preference:
“There’s a fluidity to Donald and Billy Dee’s [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.”
It’s important to note that while the screenwriter sees the character that way, there are no on-screen scenes that explicitly address whether Lando’s been in relationships with people who aren’t female-presenting humanoids (he does that a lot). But there is a moment that acknowledges he might be attracted to droids.
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The gender of droids is a complicated topic to dive into because Star Wars has never really nailed down specifically how its characters conceive of a droid’s gender, or if they do at all. But the concept of a human potentially wanting to be with one is a fascinating, if small, expansion of the ways the franchise has depicted sexual intimacy.
[The Huffington Post via The Hollywood Reporter]
Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd./lucasfilm Ltd.
If you wondered whether or not Donald Glover’s Lando Calrissian was flirting with Alden Ehrenreich’s Han or with his droid L3-73 (voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge) in Solo, the answer is, maybe both! In an interview with HuffPost, the film’s screenwriter Jonathan Kasdan was asked if the broadly flirtatious Lando was actually pansexual. “I would say yes,” Kasdan answered, though the film only implies that might be the case (in the past, the makers of the new Star Wars films have tried to score points for saying they want to include queer characters without necessarily doing so). “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.” But will Lando, or Star Wars in general, eventually get one of Disney’s exclusively gay moments? “He doesn’t make any hard and fast rules. I think it’s fun,” Kasdan told HuffPost. “I don’t know where it will go.”
CLOSE Young Han Solo meets his future co-pilot Chewbacca and encounters the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian. USA TODAY
Here's something Star Wars fans have long known about Lando Calrissian: He's likely the most charismatic character in the galaxy.
Here's something they just learned, via Solo: A Star Wars Story writer Jonathan Kasdan: Lando (played by Donald Glover and, earlier, Billy Dee Williams) is pansexual.
Donald Glover plays smooth gambler Lando Calrissian in "Solo: A Star Wars Story." (Photo: JONATHAN OLLEY/LUCASFILM)
When explicitly asked about Lando's gender identity by Huffington Post, Kasdan said, "There’s a fluidity to Donald and Billy Dee's (portrayal of Lando’s) sexuality." He continued, "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.”
In Solo, Donald Glover's Lando is as charming as he's always been since Empire Strikes Back, and maybe even more into his capes than ever before. In the new film, his female droid L3-37 (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) comments, "I'm sure you noticed that Lando has feelings for me." And, as some fans have noted since the Solo trailer was released, Lando is flirty toward Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich), at one point calling him "baby."
Waller-Bridge told USA TODAY this about Lando's relationship with her droid in the film: "The fact that they can be rude and short with each and they can boss each other around is actually what reveals their love for each other and trust for each other," she said. "They’re both very independent characters in their own right and yet they’ve chosen to partner with each other. There’s something I think really romantic about that."
She continued: "This world of Star Wars is just so accepting and beautiful that the idea a droid and a human are trying to waddle their way into a relationship is something that’s celebrated."
But there's nothing overt about Lando's sexuality in the film; nothing romantic goes on between him and any human or droid.
Jonathan Kasdan's father, co-writer and longtime Star Wars scribe Lawrence Kasdan, didn't weigh in on Lando's sexuality in the Huffington Post interview, which he was present for. But the younger Kasdan says Lando's pansexuality is canon.
"I would say yes," he said. “He doesn’t make any hard and fast rules."
Cue the Internet reaction that comes from announcing an LGBTQ character in one of the biggest movie franchises in the world.
Many caps were used
"PANSEXUAL LANDO I AM LIVING," tweeted @RoseLGBTico.
PANSEXUAL LANDO I AM LIVING — Sky🏳️🌈 (@RoseLGBTico) May 17, 2018
Lando is "really out there doing the MOST????" wrote @roguesanakain.
lando calrissian is a canon pansexual fashion and space icon??? he’s really out there doing the MOST???? i love a legend — arfa (@roguesanakin) May 17, 2018
Pansexual fans rejoiced
@corylwrites explained why the news matters: People "get to see themselves in the 2nd highest grossing media franchise in the world," she said.
All the people asking "Why does it matter? Who cares?" re: Lando being confirmed as pan: GO TALK TO A PAN PERSON ABOUT IT. Especially any pansexual black men out there. They get to see themselves in the 2nd highest grossing media franchise in the world. — Coryl Reef; she/they (@corylwrites) May 17, 2018
"It is our time," tweeted @HUGGERSECTION.
lando is PANSEXUAL, deadpool is PANSEXUAL
it is our time — grace | today!! (@HUGGERSECTlON) May 17, 2018
Others weren't surprised by the news
@pinkishdawnya tweeted, "there's no way a man like lando would ever be straight."
coworker: oh, lando is pansexual
me: duh
coworker: duh? was it obvious?
me: there's no way a man like lando would ever be straight — Dawnya 💕🌸 (@pinkishdawnya) May 17, 2018
@LOKISITH shared an apt GIF.
lando: is a canon pansexual character
me: pic.twitter.com/XInNiXrqTD — mari is back please fb? (@LOKlSITH) May 17, 2018
Then again, there were "Star Wars" fans not ready to celebrate just yet.
"Hey let’s not completely dunk on the whole Lando being pansexual thing? We can both be happy about it and critical that it likely won’t play out on screen, yes?" said @OhHeyDJ.
Hey let’s not completely dunk on the whole Lando being pansexual thing? We can both be happy about it and critical that it likely won’t play out on screen, yes? — Lil’ M’Baku (@OhHeyDJ) May 17, 2018
From 2017: Are ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Power Rangers’ queerbaiting LGBT fans?
Contributing: Brian Truitt
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It’s a big day for Lando/Han ‘shippers.
Lando Calrissian, one of Star Wars’ most popular characters recently reimagined by actor Donald Glover, is pansexual. Jonathan Kasdan — the co-writer on the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story and son of legendary Star Wars writer, Lawrence Kasdan— told Huffington Post that Lando is “pansexual,” meaning that he’s “not limited in sexual choice with regard to biological sex, gender, or gender identity,” according to one definition.
“There’s a fluidity to Donald and Billy Dee’s [portrayal of Lando’s] sexuality,” Kasdan told the Huffington Post. “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.”
Questions about Lando’s sexuality aren’t new, but this is one of the first times someone who worked on Star Wars is addressing the conversation. It’s understandable: Solo is full of scenes between Han Solo and Lando that can be deemed flirty. The two have an unquestionable connection, so Kasdan remarking upon Lando’s perceived sexuality makes sense.
The real question, however, is whether Lucasfilm backs Kasdan’s comments. Polygon has reached out to Lucasfilm to inquire whether Lando is canonically pansexual, and what that means for future Lando Calrissian films if they come to fruition. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy recently said the company would love to work on a Lando-centric movie someday, but there’s nothing in development right now.
Kasdan isn’t the only person who’s worked on Star Wars that thinks it’s high time for more LGBTQ representation. The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams also said he wanted to see more LGBTQ characters while promoting The Force Awakens. It’s an ongoing issue, and one that Disney has been criticized for time and time again. The company seems reluctant to include LGBTQ characters in any of its universes, even though same-sex relationships are heavily present in fan-made works. Finn and Poe, for example, are one of the most popular ‘ships in the Star Wars universe; Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes are another popular Disney ‘ship that became so recognizable, a campaign to get them together became a worldwide trend on Twitter.
Even though Kasdan says Lando is pansexual, it’s not canonical yet. It’s kind of like J.K. Rowling celebrating Dumbledore being gay, but not taking the necessary steps to embrace his sexuality in a film like Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald — something she was called out for earlier this year.
Still, conversations like these are a good first step, but only time will tell if Lucasfilm decides to introduce a canonically gay character.
Correction: An earlier version of this story attributed to the quotes to Lawrence Kasdan instead of his son and co-writer, Jonathan Kasdan. The story has been corrected to reflect these changes.
