Looks like mustaches are still winning. Donald Glover recently joked that his facial hair helped land his big role in the upcoming Star Wars movie. The actor opened up about the extensive casting process during an interview with Big Boy's Neighborhood radio show. Shockingly, Glover said that it took approximately four auditions to land the iconic part of Lando Calrissian. But went on to jokingly reveal that it was the mimicking of Billy Dee Williams' famous 'stache that ultimately helped him snag the gig in the new Han Solo film. According to Entertainment Tonight, Glover told the station, "I just grew the mustache, man ... it just happened."
And while the 33-year-old Georgia native's comments appear to be all in jest, the fact of the matter is: Glover really does have some pretty big shoes to fill, taking on Williams' role in the anthology set to be released in 2018. I mean, you have to admit it must be a bit unnerving having to reprise a popular character from one of the most iconic movies of all time. And that's not even mentioning the fact that the role was played by a man once considered to be a major Hollywood heartthrob.
And as cool, calm, and collected as Glover always seems to appear, he did express some of the anxiety that comes along with assuming such a huge role. He revealed to the radio station,
"There's a lot of pressure, when you walk down the street, people are like, 'Yo, I'm excited about that Lando thing.'"
There's certainly no doubt that the Community actor is excited about the "really cool, iconic role," sharing that he takes the rebirth of the character "really seriously."
It's important to note that prior to revealing Glover's involvement with the film, Williams shared very direct feelings with the Huffington Post about the possibility of someone else playing the role of Lando Calrissian. He explained at the time,
"I would say they should leave that character alone. I don’t think you can do any more than what I did with that character. I think I made that character into something very special, and I can’t imagine anybody else doing it, to be very frank with you."
However, after the official announcement was made, Williams was spotted having a friendly lunch with his Star Wars successor. So it sounds like Williams has made peace with the character moving on and all's well between the two.
You've gotta hand it to Glover, though, for reaching out to Williams and sitting down to talk things out, mustache-to-mustache. I'm sure a extra few pointers from the 79-year-old actor will certainly go along way. #MustachesUnite
