Donald Glover's latest must-read interview opens with a hilarious play-by-play of his first meeting with the esteemed Billy Dee Williams, a.k.a. the original Lando Calrissian. From there, Glover and the Hollywood Reporter's Lacey Rose discussed growing up in Stone Mountain and what's next for Atlanta.
But first, let's get into that meeting of the Landos. For the Lucasfilm-arranged meeting in Los Angeles back in January, Glover had to wear glasses and a fake nose to ensure he went undetected. After the two exchanged introductions, Glover immediately launched into his carefully researched theory on Lando's personal history and what the character represents. "He just let me ramble on and on, and then finally I was like, 'So, what do you think?'" Glover said. "And he goes, 'Yeah, I don't know about all that. Just be charming.'"
Naturally, the topic of the Han Solo-centered Star Wars spinoff's recent director shakeup was broached later in the interview. Though Rose noted Glover is "uncomfortable elaborating," he did reveal how the mood on set has changed. "Ron [Howard] is such a legend, and he knows exactly what the vision for what he is doing is … [but Phil Lord and Chris Miller] hired us, so you sort of feel like, 'I know I'm not your first choice …' And you worry about that," he said. "To be honest, I don't know exactly what happened. I feel like I was the baby in the divorce, or the youngest child. The oldest child is like, 'We know what's happening, but we are keeping you out of it.'"
In case you missed it, take a look at Howard's recent teases of Glover as a young Lando below:
As for Atlanta, which begins production on season 2 next month, Glover is characteristically coy when it comes to teasing where, exactly, Earn and company will take viewers next. He did reveal, however, that he's been watching Planet Earth for inspiration.
Read the full THR profile here.
