For many Star Wars fans, the charismatic, clever space pirate Lando Calrissian is the greatest character to emerge from George Lucas’ perpetual saga, a popularity that has everything to do with the fact that he’s played by Mr. Colt 45 himself, Billy December Williams. Nearly twenty years later, he’s still smooth as they come, and working hard. Not only a renowned TV, film and stage performer, Williams is also a singer (the group-hug track, "Voices That Care") and an accomplished artist: When we spoke on the phone in February, he was preparing to travel to Tokyo for a gallery show of his paintings.

Born in New York City, the 64-year-old Williams has been acting since the 1950s, on soap operas (The Guiding Light), and prime time series (most recently, The Hughleys and Gideon’s Crossing). Still, he’s probably best known for his movies: from Lady Sings the Blues (1972), to his two Star Wars appearances, all the way up tothe brand-new The Visit.

Jordan Walker-Pearlman’s feature debut,conerns a young man (Hill Harper) dying of AIDS in prison trying to reconcile with his father, Henry (Williams). Williams says he based Henry in part on his own father, who was "old school," and on his own experience as a father, which mixes traditional values and respect for new ideas. He drew particularly on "the way I approach life in terms of my family, concerned about their welfare. I can be a real pain in the butt when I’m laying down the law, but it’s all based on love."

While Williams calls Walker-Pearlman "my son," and is obviously proud of the film, he’s not shy about touting his own contributions to the character. "There’s no way in the world I’m going to be hired and not have a lot of input! I’m of that generation, one of those Method actors."

Williams praises Walker-Pearlman’s production process, which included lengthy rehearsal time, including some without a script. This established "a situation that allows everyone to express themselves on at least two levels, and encourages subtlety and nuance, always important. When people get close to each other, and become family, they begin to see each other in ways that can be very useful for putting ideas together."

Their collaboration made for a great experience, "a pastiche, a combination of the music, action and visual composition. You put all that together, the way [Walker-Pearlman] did, and it really fills your whole being up." Williams compares his painting to his acting: "You’re bringing a kind of painting together when you’re a filmmaker, a writer or an actor. You just use different tools." Never shy, he adds, "I get a kick out of displaying my art. That’s the reason I’m doing it, to get a reaction. Otherwise," he laughs, "it’s just like masturbating."

Williams says the film is about the difficulty of making changes, framed by "the redemption of love." Some changes, he observes, are "chaotic, at least from my perspective. When I watch television, I see a kind of freedom that’s being expressed about masculine ideals, that I hadn’t seen before. But rather than being critical about it, I spend time wondering where it’s all going to lead." Of his own life and work, Williams says, "I grow and I embrace everything. I’ll always be like a little boy, exploring all the time, getting into trouble."