© 2026 ABC News

Williams, who pioneered diversity on screen, knows that the new trilogy’s young stars have endured sexist and racist comments online.

\"PHOTO:
The Walt Disney Company/Image Group LA via Getty Images
PHOTO: Billy Dee Williams speaks at the D23 Expo 2019 in Anaheim, Calif. Aug. 24, 2019.
>

\"You’re always going to have people making stupid comments,\" Williams said. \"One deals with indignities all the time. Do you sit around with vengeance in your soul? You can’t do that.\"

The actor added, \"I’m not forcing people to listen to my point of view, but if I can present it in some creative fashion -- I’m the painter, tweaking, adding, contributing, putting in something that you haven’t thought about, maybe.\"

\"The Rise of Skywalker,\" distributed by Disney, the parent company of ABC News, hits theaters on December 20.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/GMA/Culture/star-wars-actor-billy-dee-williams-sees-feminine/story?id=67439791","legacySlug":"/culture/story/star-wars-actor-billy-dee-williams-sees-feminine-67439791","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"18:35","publishDate":"12-02-2019","updatedTime":"20:44","updatedDate":"12-02-2019","socialImage":{"alt":"Billy Dee Williams speaks at the D23 Expo 2019 in Anaheim, Calif. Aug. 24, 2019.","credit":"The Walt Disney Company/Image Group LA via Getty Images","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/billy-dee-gty-er-191202_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"12/2/2019 18:35:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":67439791,"headline":"Billy Dee Williams talks gender fluidity","mediaAssetTitle":"BILLY DEE WILLIAMS","description":"\"I never tried to be anything except myself,\" Williams said. ","duration":"4:05","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/04/190415_gma_starwars_839_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["67386348","67343446","67289571"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"story","date":"November 29, 2019","headline":"Dying Star Wars fan gets special advanced screening of 'The Rise of Skywalker' ","section":"culture","slug":"/culture/story/dying-star-wars-fan-special-advanced-screening-rise-67386348","id":67386348,"image":{"alt":"Dying Star Wars fan gets special advanced screening of 'The Rise of Skywalker' ","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/star-wars-hospice-ht-ml-191129_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Rowans Hospice","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"November 27, 2019","headline":"Actor John Boyega admits 'Star Wars' script on eBay was his","section":"culture","slug":"/culture/story/star-wars-actor-john-boyega-admits-lost-script-67343446","id":67343446,"image":{"alt":"Actor John Boyega admits 'Star Wars' script on eBay was his","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/star-wars-2-ht-er-191127_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Lucasfilm Ltd.","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"November 25, 2019","headline":"'Star Wars' director reveals a script wound up on eBay","section":"culture","slug":"/culture/story/star-wars-director-jj-abrams-reveals-rise-skywalker-67289571","id":67289571,"image":{"alt":"'Star Wars' director reveals a script wound up on eBay","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/jj-abram-gty-file-ml-191125_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic/Getty Images, FILE","ratio":"1x1"}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Billy Dee Williams talks gender fluidity","description":"\"I never tried to be anything except myself,\" Williams said. ","duration":"4:05","uploadDate":"12-02-2019","publication":"12-02-2019","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/04/190415_gma_starwars_839_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/04/190415_gma_starwars_839_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/star-wars-actor-billy-dee-williams-sees-feminine-67439791"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132281378","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132283010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132273278","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132231169","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132206748","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132200241","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131912713","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131830583","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131834976","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554815","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131543053","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131432442","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131121474","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131247079","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131228784","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131178806","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:culture:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"culture","title":"Billy Dee Williams talks gender fluidity","pubTime":"13:35","pubDate":"12-02-2019","modTime":"15:44","modDate":"12-02-2019","taxonomyTags":"none","id":67439791,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Billy Dee Williams talks gender fluidity","mediaAssetTitle":"BILLY DEE WILLIAMS","videoId":67439791,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/culture/story/star-wars-actor-billy-dee-williams-sees-feminine-67439791"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/67439791","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/67439791","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};