Updated On: 10 April, 2024 07:23 AM IST | Washington | Agencies
Billy Dee Williams defends actors painting their face black for a role

Billy Dee Williams
Billy Dee Williams has come out in support of performers wearing ‘blackface’, as he believes actors should be able to perform in blackface.
In a podcast, the Star Wars actor recalled watching Laurence Olivier in 1965’s Othello, where Olivier wore blackface to portray the title role. “When he did Othello, I fell out laughing. He stuck his a** out and walked around because Black people are supposed to have big a***s. I thought it was hysterical. I loved it,” Williams said.
The podcast host asked, “Today, they would never let you do that,” to which Williams replied, “Why not? You should do it. If you’re an actor, you should do anything you want to do.”