Star Wars actor Billy Dee Williams misspoke when he claimed to be “gender fluid.” The senior citizen has backtracked on his comments, insisting he didn’t fully understand what being gender fluid meant.
In an interview with Esquire magazine, the 82-year-old AARP cardholder explained that he uses both male and female pronouns when referring to himself.
Williams said, “I think of myself as a relatively colorful character who doesn’t take himself or herself too seriously… And you see I say ‘himself’ and ‘herself,’ because I also see myself as feminine as well as masculine.”
There were reports of Williams’ elderly female fans falling out over the news that he might be a cross-dresser or go both ways.
The LGBT+ community was ecstatic and praised Williams for being his authentic self. He was portrayed as an “elder gay” speaking his truth. Filmmaker and friend J.J. Abrams congratulated Williams for his “openness”.
But, in a later interview with The Undefeated, Williams clarified his comments, insisting he was simply talking about “men getting in touch with their softer side of themselves”.
“I was talking about men getting in touch with the female side of themselves. I wasn’t talking about sex, I wasn’t talking about being gay or straight,” he said.
Many social media users suspect Williams trolled his fans to promote his news film, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, in which he reprises his role as Lando Calrissian.
The film opens in theaters in 2 weeks.
