Billy Dee Williams Spent ‘a Lot of Years’ Getting Yelled at by Angry ‘Star Wars’ Fans: ‘You Betrayed Han Solo!’

variety.com:

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Billy Dee Williams appeared on Entertainment Weekly’s “Dagobah Dispatch” podcast and discussed the backlash he’s faced throughout the years due to the “Star Wars” franchise.

Williams debuted as Lando Calrissian in “The Empire Strikes Back,” which includes a moment in which Lando makes a deal with the Empire that leads to Han Solo being captured and frozen in carbonite.

Some “Star Wars” fans still have not forgiven Lando and the backlash extended into Williams’ real life. “When I would pick my daughter up from school, the kids would run up to me and say, ‘You betrayed Han Solo!’” Williams said. “I’d go on an airplane and the airplane stewards would say, ‘You betrayed Han Solo!’ I got that for a lot of years.” Williams explained that he would try to reason with upset “Star Wars” fans and tell them: “Look, think about the whole situation.

You’re up against a pretty formidable character in Darth Vader. And then there’s, of course, Boba Fett. And these people were invading my space and I had to bargain with them.