It is often considered a reliable choice to have a Hollywood actor appear on “The View” for the female hosts, who often engage in discussions solely focused on identity politics. The situation becomes even more favorable if the actor in question belongs to one or multiple minority groups.
However, during Tuesday’s episode, the hosts had a conversation with a renowned actor who did not conform to their left-leaning agenda: Billy Dee Williams, most famous for portraying Lando Calrissian in the original “Star Wars” trilogy.
Host Sunny Hostin probed Williams about his early career, saying, “So you did start … in the industry at a time when few people of color were on TV and in movies.”
Williams was quick to interrupt her, saying “Everybody is a ‘people of color.’” Hostin quickly backed down, switching her phrasing to, “Well, a black man.”
“A brown-skinned man?” Williams asked.
Hostin soldiered on, asking, “Early on you struggled to find work, being offered either stereotypical roles or nothing at all. … Did you ever think about quitting, and if you didn’t, what kept you going?”
“You just live from moment to moment,” he answered, “and do what you have to do and expect things to not always go your way, and you just find ways to be innovative, and you find ways to counter whatever you’re up against and move forward.”
Subsequently, Williams shared a mildly politically incorrect joke, inquiring the hosts about the term for gender. Joy Behar eventually mentioned “gender-fluid,” to which Williams responded, stating that his daughter was thrilled by it. When questioned about the reason behind her excitement, he humorously retorted “because she’s a liberal.”