Billy Dee Williams Defends Actors Wearing Blackface

Actor Billy Dee Williams sparked debate when he defended performers wearing blackface.

During an interview on the "Club Random" podcast with host Bill Maher, published Sunday, Williams, 87, said there is no real issue with actors using blackface, saying, "If you're an actor, you should do anything you want to do."

The topic came about while discussing racial portrayals in film, particularly about white actor Laurence Olivier's portrayal of the titular Black character in the 1965 film "Othello."

Despite Olivier's use of the controversial blackface, Williams said he found the performance "really interesting."

"When he did 'Othello,' I fell out laughing," the "Star Wars" star said, according to CNN. "He stuck his a** out and walked around with his a**, you know, because Black people are supposed to have big a**es … I thought it was hysterical. I loved it. I love that kind of stuff."

Blackface originated in mid-19th century minstrel shows where white performers would darken their skin with shoe polish and cork, don tattered clothing, and exaggerate stereotypical "Black" features. These shows, according to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), initially portrayed enslaved Africans on Southern plantations as lazy, ignorant, cowardly, or hypersexual.

While intended to be humorous for white audiences, these performances were demeaning to the Black community.

During their conversation on the podcast, Maher pointed out, given today's climate, Olivier would not be cast in the role now.

"Here's the thing: Today, they would never let you do that," he said.

"Why not? You should do it," he replied.

"If you're an actor, you should do anything you want to do," he said. "As an actor, whatever you think you can do, you should be able to do it."

Maher went on to note Williams "actually lived in a period where you couldn't do that, where you couldn't play the part you should've played." He was referencing segregation in the U.S.

Williams pushed back.

"But it didn't matter," he said. "Of course it happened but the fact is, you discuss it. The point is, that you don't go through life feeling like, 'I'm a victim.'

"I refuse to go through life saying to the world, 'I'm [expletive] off.' I'm not gonna be [expletive] off 24 hours a day," he added.

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