Actor, director, rap artist, Saturday Night Live host, Golden Globe winner….talk about Donald Glover and you’re liable to run out of hyphens. The truth is that it would be hard to name another working artist more at the center of the current zeitgeist.  With pop cultural co-conspirators (and Globe nominees) like Jordan Peele and Issa Rae, the Best Comedy Actor Globe-winner for Atlanta (the series which he created and stars in also won a Globe last year), is leading a wave of African American artistic vitality responsible for some of today’s most groundbreaking film and television. Atlanta has been praised as a television milestone, the latest video by his Grammy-winning alter ego Childish Gambino – This Is America – hailed as a genius commentary on violence and race in American society.

Like many of the films and shows of the current wave, Glover’s work straddles comedy, drama, and satire, just like Glover easily moves between rap, acting or the charm of a consummate SNL host. And now he is universally praised for the charisma he brings to the role of Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story. The HFPA’s Rocio Ayuso sat down with him to talk about his role in yet another pop culture milestone.

Lando Calrissian is the guy who gets it all.  Just like you at this point in your career. Is this a good moment to be Donald Glover?

(laughs) Yeah, I am a true believer that you can do or get whatever you want if you really want it. Everything is balance. It’s give and take. Lando is somebody who understands that, that in order to get something, you have to lose something. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. And I am a true believer in that. I really think you can get and do anything you want if you just ask for it. Sometimes not even asking for it. Just making it an idea.

How did you get into the head of Lando? Was someone that interested you?

It was my first toy as a kid. I grew up on it. So when Disney announced that they were going to be making more Star Wars movies, I told my agent “if they make the Lando movie, I want to be Lando”.

Was it your favorite because he was the black guy or because he had the qualities you like?

It’s hard to answer that. How am I to know? If everybody in the movie were black, then we would know. Lando reflected an otherness to me that I enjoyed. How cool and flavorful he was, something that spoke back to me. That I also felt.  Cause he is not like a fighter and he is not like a shooter. He didn’t know the force. He is literally like I am going to talk my way out.

Do you think Earn, your character in Atlanta, is also into Star Wars?

I don’t know if Star Wars is part of his universe. I know Star Wars is in the Atlanta universe because we reference it. So Star Wars is in their world. And I think Earn would definitely like. Why wouldn’t he?

Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian in Solo:A Star Wars Story.

lucasfilm/disney

Did you have a conversation with Billy Dee Williams about how it was when he was filming the movie? How did it make him feel to be the only black character in the saga?

No. Actually, we didn’t.  I think diversity is an easy thing for people to sell because it has a label.  But it’s not something that we sit there and talk. I don’t want old white men to be extinct. I just want more of other stuff.  And not even just my voice. Real diversity means you can get a different point of view from everything. That way everything will move much faster. Not just in culture. Everything. But we never talked about it, because to him, this character was really eclectic, he just had to take a little bit of everything, a little piece from everywhere.  I am sure he was aware of being an “other” on set, but I think he never saw himself as an “other.” I mean, he was like yeah, I am an “other” to them, but I am my own.

What did you talk with him about?
Atlanta.  Not my show, literally Atlanta.  (laughter) His son lives in Atlanta and he was like “Any good restaurants there?”  (laughter) We talked about everything but. He was talking about music and that marriage is hard and we just talked about everything.  (laughter) And it was cool.

I believe during the shooting in the Canary Islands you were the karaoke king at Emilia  Clarke’s party.  How was life outside Solo?

It was what you dream of being an actor. Surrounding yourself with all these good experiences. And to be invited to her house and do karaoke… I don’t get to have that much fun that much anymore because I am always working.  So it felt like I really missed it and it was really cool to come in and do that.

Known also as Childish Gambino as a musician, was there any talk to incorporate your music background in the Solo soundtrack?
(laughs) I am just thinking, (sings) “Hi, I am Lando and I am here.” (laughter)  Then It would be like wow, this movie made negative money.  (Laughter) There was some talk of making little music. Maybe Lando is listening to some music and I was like “oh, I can make that kind of space music.” Jizz, according to Wookipedia. But it didn’t happen.