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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Entertainment
Sian Cain

Billy Dee Williams says actors ‘should’ be allowed to wear blackface

Billy Dee Williams Bill Maher Laurence Olivier James Baldwin
Billy Dee Williams pictured in California in 2018.
Billy Dee Williams pictured in California in 2018. The Star Wars actor says actors should be able to wear blackface. Photograph: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Billy Dee Williams has said that actors should be able to perform in blackface, with the Star Wars actor revealing that he believes, “If you’re an actor, you should do anything you want to do”.

Speaking to Bill Maher on the Club Random podcast, the 87-year-old actor recalled laughing while watching the 1965 film Othello, where the titular character played by Laurence Olivier is in blackface. Williams said he thought the performance was “really interesting”.

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