Billy Dee Williams thrilled to make long-awaited return as Lando Calrissian

It was a long time ago that Billy Dee Williams last stepped foot in a galaxy far, far away.

The iconic actor, who first charmed “Star Wars” fans as the smooth-talking, cape-wearing smuggler Lando Calrissian in 1980's “The Empire Strikes Back,” hadn't appeared as the character since the franchise's third movie, “Return of the Jedi,” in 1983.

That all changed when Williams received a call from director J.J. Abrams asking him to reprise the classic role in the upcoming “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”

“I know the fans for years were looking forward to Lando coming back, and I just thought if it ever happened, I certainly would love to participate,” Williams said. “And it happened. But I didn't really expect it to happen.”

Williams, 82, becomes the last of the original “Star Wars” heroes to come back in recent films, following the returns of Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Leia) and Harrison Ford (Han Solo).

In addition to emerging as a fan favorite in the 1980s, Lando became a major figure in the pop-culture zeitgeist as the first black “Star Wars” protagonist. He helped pave the way for a current trilogy that features a female action hero, Daisy Ridley, as well as John Boyega, who has Nigerian heritage, and Oscar Isaac, who was born in Guatemala, in leading roles.

“It's nice that people are talking about life as it really exists, with all of the diversity,” Williams said. “It seems proper and seems a good thing to do.”

Thirty-six years after he last portrayed Lando, Williams says it wasn't difficult to get back into character.

“I played the character. I created the character,” Williams said. “I guess that makes it easy for me to get back into it.”