How Well Does the 'John Wick' Cast Know Keanu? You get to see them as a full human being. Actor Asia Kate Dillon brought Brandy to life and, over the course of the show, portrayed a character that couldn't be further from their real . People try with good intentions, maybe not, but they try it. Asia Kate Dillon is a fierce actor with arresting eyes and a buzzcut, known for breakout roles including a Nazi skinhead inmate in Orange Is the New Black and, currently, a calculating hedge-fund intern on Showtimes Billions. Sun: I will give people a spoiler alert if I go into that. Thats not something that they have to be. Someone can have a beard and be trans. Sun: No, I appreciate that. Although Asia is a female, Asia prefers to be addressed as they, their, and them. Its a masterful way of showing a multidimensional, incredibly complex, awesome character that I think many performers would kill to play. Asia, thank you for letting me indulge my inner fan for so long. Dillon: So you actually just gave an example of a thing that came to my mind that I want to say. They are on Hacks and they just received an Emmy nomination for the show and has come out as non-binary. I obviously would not say to the same degree that white characters are. Taylor has a lot of storylines, and I love that most of them actually are not centered around their identity, but do you have input? And they are a musician; many of the most famous non-binary celebrities coincidentally happen to be more musicians rather than actors, like Sam Smith, and I think Janelle Mone has identified as non-binary or gender nonconforming. And so and this is a statistic that Laverne Cox said in an interview a little while ago I think 85 percent of Americans say theyve only encountered a trans, non-binary, gender nonconforming person through the media. Its worthwhile practice though. Then it also said, "Some people may refer to this as gender fluid or genderqueer.". But one of the reasons the show is resonating with people right now is because the show examines why we find the characteristics of charm, and flawed people, appealing. But do you think it was significant that Taylor hasnt had a major plot line thats been centered around trauma or bigotry or that type of experience? White: Star Trek has always been about exploration and asking questions about identity and community and where we belong and how we belong. It is aligned with masculinity. And doing it purposefully to try and disrespect Taylor, which is so clear because the writing is brilliant in it and the actors who do that are brilliant. And why do I ascribe these essential character traits to being a man? Non-binary people arent androgynous, and also androgyny has historically been aligned with masculinity. We have one character that I really, really love, Bobbie Yang from Rutherford Falls. Im definitely still learning. Thats awesome. Sun: Which is already lopsided to begin with. And that gender identity is placed on top of that assigned sex. He is a gay man of color, and one of the things that he said really stuck out to me, and that was that queer white people get to be queer, and queer people of color are people of color first, which means that society looks at our race before it looks at our sexuality. It was just not a thing. 454 1. Your kids are nervous about school shootings heres what to say, Teen banned from prom at Christian school for wearing a dress with mesh cut-outs, People are freaking out about Britney Spears face: Such a shame. And the categories existing within the context of the awards show are exclusionary and it is erasure of anyone who exists outside of the gender binary. It needs to happen because there is a non-binary writer whos been brought in, a consultant, a producer. Dillon: Unless Im misremembering, I had nothing to do with the writing of that scene. Weve had enough of that. In 2017 and again, if you Google this, Im basically quoting but thats okay. But if you miss breakfast, its just snack food. The thing that I really love about these representations is that they come at the non-binary identity from two different angles. They are known for playing Brandy Epps in Orange Is the New Black (2013) and Taylor Mason in Billions (2016). My relationship as a non-binary person to my gender which I dont even have a very specific label for, I dont consider myself gender fluid. I thought, if youre nonbinary, can you also be female? Your characters get to do different things and they get to be different people, and thats because theyre not conforming to that binary. And obviously this is not an intentional non-binary representation, but . That is my experience of myself, and so Im just living my life as me. There is a whole storyline about two aliens; theyre non-binary aliens. I dont know, Abbey, if that is way too old of a reference for you, but I was reading back through the commentary at the time Roddenberry meant it as a LGBT allegory to criticize conversion therapy and forcing somebody to be something that they dont naturally feel. The surgery didn't solve all of my issues, but it did offer a sense of peace and comfort that wasn't otherwise there. The actor who plays Taylor from Billions wears a seamless mix of clothes (labels like menswear and womenswear need not apply) and talks Axe Capital, Trump, and playing a white supremacist. — -- Asia Kate Dillon made history by playing Taylor Mason on "Billions," the first non-binary role on American series television, and on Jan. 11, they were honored for their work with a best . There are certainly a lot of errors. Sun: Pat even got their own movie, didnt they? Their role on Billions is the first gender non-binary character shown on American television. And, you know, again, as with all of the relationships on the show, the dynamic between the two characters was very complicated, very nuanced. And so theres a character who comes out to Riker and says that they are actually a she, but then spoiler alert for a 30-year-old episode! In this week's episode of Hollywood Remixed, The Hollywood Reporter 's podcast about inclusion and representation in entertainment, Billions ' Asia Kate Dillon joins the show to talk about. We're human beings, and this is a human life. And then after you get a few more representations, you start to see depictions of people of color and other intersectional portrayals. Why are men not allowed to access this characteristic just because its coded as feminine? I think there are a lot of valid criticisms of that character and what it laid the groundwork for and how it embodied a lot of harmful treatment of gender and non-binary identities in Hollywood. An example of that is when I am misgendered. Asia Kate Dillon on Being Non-Binary Slaven Vlasic/Getty "Non-binary is a term used by some people, myself included, who experience their gender identity as falling somewhere outside the. But tell me a little bit about animations role or presence when it comes to gender presentation and things like that. You know. I can't say I haven't looked in the mirror and said, ''Work, bitch.'. I still think that might be a good label if youre trying to describe it to somebody, but for myself, I dont feel like I have transitioned from one gender to another. And I remember taking the clippers that my roommate had at the time and just going for it. I dont know if that answers your question. It is something that I must cultivate and it is something that I must consciously do or it will go away. There are certainly situations where Im not correcting people. I don't feel like I was put in the wrong body. (Laughs.) Asia has mentioned that they are attracted to both males and females. But when someone is misgendering me repeatedly, even after Ive reminded them of my pronouns, then it becomes something else, and its pretty clear when that happens. Maybe because it feels like not a safe space. Sun: Precisely. Its time to be brave. And if Taylor, if this fictional character can exist in this fictional world and has been brave enough to get up and get dressed and go out there into the world and be who they really are, then I can too. So its realistic to think that we might see this someday. I think that there are more examples of attempts at transgender portrayals. Sun: It does. I feel like a lot of art these days is just entertainment for entertainments sake. Theres a tiny little calculator known as BMO who is genderless, because why wouldnt a tiny little calculator be genderless? Its this adventurey place. I knew it would be incredibly impactful. (Laughs.) Thats a tricky thing. "I love that I am trans. Asia Kate Dillon appeared on the silver screen alongside Keanu Reeves in "John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum." In an interview with Insider, the actor revealed how they advocated to bring a bit of their own identity to their role as the Adjudicator in "John Wick." White: Yes, exactly. I feel like I can talk to Brian and David about anything, ask them anything. White: Absolutely. So have you felt excluded, then, by the womens movement, and specifically the Womens March? This was such a pleasure. Did you watch Billions before you were cast on the show?I didnt watch it before I was on it. And obviously that is meant as a form of comedy, but I believe even RuPaul was like, Bugs Bunny had an influence on my own understanding of my gender and my presentation and my interest in drag. And that is a character of color in a show featuring indigenous people in a way that indigenous people havent really been represented before. White: I mean, I wouldnt say it looks like cisgender racial representation at all. They are known for playing Brandy Epps in Orange Is the New Black (2013) and Taylor Mason in Billions (2016). And I would say, youve encountered them in your real life, you just dont know it. And I personally had not felt, and I still dont feel, that hormones or surgery are a part of my journey. The pioneering actor tells Aaron Hicklin how they are harnessing empathy as a tool for change Sun 25 Mar 2018 04.00 . They have a mild social media following with more than 150k followers on Instagram and more than 50k followers on Twitter. In animation, because it doesnt have to ascribe to the physical realism that exists in live-action film and TV, you can be super expressive, they say, pointing to Cartoon Networks Adventure Time among other recent examples. Dillon is also the founder and the producing director of MIRROR/FIRE Productions. How does that change your dynamic? ", "There's a bit of cynicism that I, too, have had about doing affirmations, but it's really a wonderful thing. I think thats an archaic alignment, and Im excited for a future in which we dont do that. Gender nonconformity has traditionally been a means of exploring horror narratives, they explain. You dont have to ascribe to this or that. Recently cast in the role of Taylor, a non-binary gender identifying character in Showtime's BILLIONS, Dillon is the first non-binary gender identifying actor to ever be cast in a major television series. You unleash a fury of vile and demeaning rage that lands on the shoulders of the trans community, a community in which 40% of trans adults report attempting suicide. I told you, Im pretty careful about what I watch and what I listen to. And so I think one of the incredible complexities that the show holds about this character of Bobby Axelrod is that, as you said, hes all the things. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Do you have a job? Ad Choices, Billions Star Asia Kate Dillon Proves Theres No Such Thing as Menswear. And I think that writers, in particular TV and film writers, have leaned on sci-fi because its a lot easier to sell the idea that your alien doesnt have a gender, right? The balance is too far on one side for now. Search instead in Creative? Asia Kate Dillon was born on November 15, 1984 in Ithaca, New York, USA. Asia Kate Dillon - Net Worth, Salary. One of my favorites is Summer Camp Island. Giving other people time is important. Ive spoken to child development experts about childrens media and gender, and that binary in kids isnt inherent. As an actor, as a performer, do you have any preference towards playing characters whose gender identity matches your own? Whatever hope Taylor gave to other people once Taylor appeared onscreen, Taylor gave me that hope and sense of self first., Dillon also discusses with host Rebecca Sun (THR senior editor of diversity and inclusion) their campaign to remove gendered acting categories from awards shows, a move that the Grammys, Gotham Awards, MTV Movie and TV Awards and Berlin and San Sebastian film festivals have already done. Find Asia kate dillon stock images in HD and millions of other royalty-free stock photos, illustrations and vectors in the Shutterstock collection. I think about the characters in Danger & Eggs, which was an Amazon series; Craig of the Creek, which has I think one of the highest numbers of non-binary characters outside of Steven Universe, which just blows everybody away because every gem in that is non-binary. We also have Xavin, who is an alien but is a non-binary alien in Marvels Runaways. Asia Kate Dillon was born on November 15, 1984 in Ithaca, New York, USA. White: Oh, absolutely. And Im certainly happy as a light-skinned white person to play an antihero onscreen, because we have so many examples of white people as heroes. Dillon: There have been cases on the show where Taylor has been purposefully misgendered, and its been done to reveal something about the character who is misgendering Taylor. Sun: I think it was incredibly thoughtful. And also it has probably just seldom been attempted, to be honest. But Joey goes on this gender journey of realizing what their gender is, and they do it with a partner. I think about the concept of the bearded lady, which has been around forever. I interviewed a voice actor for a piece. It's something everyone wants, to feel understood. White: Yeah, because its a baby, you know. But at the same time, you look at all of the images that are available in fashion and in the greater image industry, and you don't see yourself. 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