Donald Glover Talks 'This Is America,' Lauryn Hill, & 'Star Wars' on 'Kimmel'

Donald Glover took over “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” The actor-singer-writer appeared on the show to promote his role as Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story. While Childish Gambino might be a jack of all trades, he recalled doubts about his chances for the film.

“I told my agent, ‘If they’re making a Han Solo movie, Lando’s gotta be in it, and I wanna be Lando,” he said. “To his credit, and I appreciate it, he was like, ‘I don’t like your odds.’ That was awesome because I was like, ‘I’m gon’ get this.’ I just really wanted to be [him] because it was just my first toy and I love that character.”

These days, fans are clamoring over Glover for his acting and his music. “This Is America” debuted over the weekend to wide acclaim, but Gambino hasn’t seen too much of the fanfare. “I haven’t been on the internet since Thursday night before ‘Saturday Night Live,'” he said. “I was like, ‘I don’t want to be in all the mix.’ It’s bad for me. I’m really sensitive so I’m like, ‘Let it be.’ … I see one negative thing and I track that person down. I go into their Instagram and be like, ‘You’re not so great. That baby’s not even that cute!'”

Elsewhere on the show, Glover talked about his early musical influences, including No Doubt, Stevie Wonder, and Lauryn Hill. “I remember the first album I bought with my own money. I think it might have been…Tragic Kingdom by No Doubt,” he said. “That was the first time I had money and ‘Don’t Speak’ was out. I was like, ‘I just love this song!’ But I think I probably listened to Miseducation by Lauryn Hill the most. It’s kind of flawless. Including Stevie [Wonder] because I love Music of My Mind, but Lauryn Hill’s album, an album about love and every type of love, I just never heard an album quite like that. When it came to me, I was like, ‘This is about everything.’ I love that album.”

But Stevie Wonder has also become more than just an influence. Glover performed “Superstition” with Wonder, Kelly Rowland, and Jessie J in Los Angeles earlier this week. “It was nuts,” he explained. “In the middle [of his performance], he was like, ‘I see Donald Glover’s here’…Halfway through, somebody comes up and is like, ‘Do you want to sing ‘Superstition’ with Stevie Wonder?’ I’m like, ‘Of course I would.’ Then I’m on my phone like, ‘Where’s the lyrics? I gotta make sure!’ I was freaking out. It was like a dream. It’s pretty crazy.”