Last week, it was announced that Michael K. Williams was added to the cast for the currently-untitled Han Solo film, so when he stopped by the Complex offices for our weekly Facebook Live show, we figured it made sense to ask him about it. Sadly, those Lucasfilms contracts must be super tight, because he wouldn't tell us sh*t. It is official, though, so hold on for whatever the Brooklyn-born actor will be doing in the film.
What Williams would talk about, though, is the second season of his Sundance TV series Hap and Leonard , which premieres on March 15. On the series, Williams plays Leonard, an "openly gay, black man, ex-Marine, Republican cowboy from East Texas." It's a wild character to play, but also a wild show, which delves into some heavy material involving the deaths of children in the 1980s (which Williams says reminded him of the Atlanta child murders of the late '70s/early '80s).
We also got to learn about Williams being discovered by 2Pac, who ended up recommending him to play High Top in one of 'Pac's last films, Bullet. Williams says that Pac saw a Polaroid picture of him, and said that Williams looked "thugged out enough to play my little brother." He also tells a wild story about what happened when he went to audition for the role.
Williams also touches on what he felt was the most important takeaway from the HBO limited series The Night Of that he was a part of, the musical he's working on with Crystal Waters (fun fact: Williams choreographed the video for her classic "100% Pure Love"), and more. Check out the full interview up above, and be sure to catch up on Hap and Leonard before it returns for season two on the Sundance Channel on March 15.
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