Here's what to know, Adults with autism say they always felt 'different' growing up. Thousands of new, high-quality pictures are added every day. And I applaud the Gotham Awards for abolishing their gendered acting categories. 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. All rights reserved. And I do have plastic tupperware in my bag that I take home and wash. And I think thats part of the key to LGBTQ representation, the storied history of LGBTQ representation and definitely non-binary representation. Im remembering one of the earliest interviews you gave, I think it was on the Ellen show where you delineated the difference between the physiology of our bodies and I think what you called gender identity being what is between the ears. Something that is more about I dont want to put words in your mouth but I think more about a consciousness, it seems, rather than a biological expression? Of course, sometimes theres fried chicken, but both always tend to have quinoa salad, orzo salad, etc.. Orange tends to have more sweets, theres a little bit more sugar on the Orange set. White: Yes! You tend to play characters who are emotionally closed off. I think a lot of the womens movement is perpetuating the synonymous use of woman and vagina, and not all women have vaginas, not all people with vaginas are women. White: Yeah, because its a baby, you know. I carry that with me when Im out in the world and Im misgendered. As an actor, as a performer, do you have any preference towards playing characters whose gender identity matches your own? But what the 33-year-old gets asked about perhaps most frequently is gender identity: Dillons is nonbinary, with the preferred pronoun of they.. Sun: Thats helpful. Billions season five is currently back and airing on Showtime on Sundays. And in terms of Bobbie, as soon as I saw Bobbie on screen, I was just like, This is so much of what I have been asking for in the sense that this is a character that people clearly are not trying to force one way or another. My joy is real, but it is also fragile. And so that is very special, but yeah, we talk about mostly where Taylor is coming from emotionally and why they are the way they are and why they are behaving the way theyre behaving and doing what theyre doing. I would like [people] to understand that we are people. Updated: November 29, 2021 ", "[W]hen my friends and family call me Josie, it feels like I'm being seen. Its not a perfect circle; theres animation thats not for kids and theres obviously kids content thats live-action. Do we as a parent tell our children who they are? They dont waver. When my contract was negotiated, I knew that there was a possibility for nudity. Dillons Billions character of Taylor identifies as nonbinary as well a point that caused Dillon to weep with joy upon first reading the script. 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. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. And so its really interesting to see some cool stuff thats happening in animation, very specifically in childrens animation, thats breaking that down and arguably at the forefront of our conversations about non-binary identity and gender non-conforming identities. I think its the intent and the knowledge that goes into that and the level of sensitivity that actually ultimately matters. And what does that mean? And thats something thats kind of imposed on children. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You have entered an incorrect email address! But I noticed when I was watching your various past interviews, that youve been very gracious and very patient in answering questions about what it means to be non-binary, even when I imagine sometimes the questions might grow repetitive or kind of basic. the government, the planet, the race forces her to undergo a conversion therapy of sorts to go back to a they, which is really interesting. With Star Trek, just so people know when you talked about the first official representation of a non-binary character, that is Star Trek: Discovery, and that was just this past third season, an actor named Blu Del Barrio, who I believe is non-binary themselves, plays a character who is explicitly identified as non-binary. So thanks for letting me (Laughs.). Taylor is able to feel the most free when there are very clear boundaries. Dillon is non-binary and uses singular they pronouns. [laughs] As Nina Simone said, its an artists job to reflect society. They had more lines. (Laughs.) Which tells you just how little there is. What does that look like? Its an umbrella term, and it describes anybody who may have a gender that doesnt really exclusively fall into male or female cisgender very specifically and who may identify somewhere in between that or beyond that. But because the character I play is a neo-Nazi and white supremacist, people did not approach me on the street or say, Hey, oh my God, I like your character. [laughs] Occasionally I could tell people would recognize me and not say anything. Non-binary. And the more I hold myself close and fully embrace who I am, the more I dream, the more my heart grows and the more I thrive. It depends. Sun: Or even, since Billions, is there a change in the types of things that youre reading for? I also understand the need for dialogue on it. 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? And I remember taking the clippers that my roommate had at the time and just going for it. Are you zero waste?Asia Kate Dillon: No! I really like a structure. So I do feel left out of conversations that continue to align femininity and womanhood with uteruses and vaginas. How did you hear about the role on Billions? And even if theyre not coming with that, if youre getting non-binary actors, your vision of that character I think changes a little more because their identity can be so different from one person to the next. How was that? Asia Kate Dillon's Role on Billions Helped Inform Their Own Gender Identity. The John Wick movies have always been very representative of all different kinds of people, whether its ethnicity or sexual orientation, and so it just felt really right for the world to have gender diversity as well. The first Black person to do anything is both going to be celebrated and also scorned, because they didnt do it the right way and it wasnt enough for everybody. The things that I've had to do medically to my body don't define me. And so I had literally no example of a person who didnt identify as a man or a woman but hadnt changed their body. In 2017, "Billions" star Asia Kate Dillon, the. And of course you have Mafee there sort of defending Taylor to their dad, which I thought was beautiful. But these two characters are just adorable aliens. Asia revealed on their Twitter that they are pansexual and prefers to be considered as non-binary. I mean, I spent so many years not understanding my own gender identity, not having the language to talk about it, and not feeling safe in many environments to talk about it. Fast & Furious: Crossroads: Gameplay Trailer. I didnt want to take hormones, thats not my journey. But tell me a little bit about the existence of non-binary representations of color. Sun: Thats great. Then it also said, "Some people may refer to this as gender fluid or genderqueer.". And I think thats part of the larger history around non-binary representation in film and television. Dillon, who gave eye-catching performances as Lucifer off-off-Broadway and as a white supremacist on Orange Is the New Black, broke out as Taylor Mason, a nonbinary hedge fund wunderkind on the Showtime series Billions., Hello, Im Taylor, the character says when first meeting the funds boss, Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis). It's just a feeling. Search instead in Creative? This episode is about non-binary identity. And theres good progress. And I dont know what anyones is until they tell me. I dont think of Taylor as a hidden gem, but maybe they are. For playing the character Brandy Epps in the Netflix series. Billions and Orange Is The New Black actor Asia Kate Dillon has a neck tattoo that reads, in twirly script, einfhlung. Einfhlung, the German word for empathy, is something Dillon (surprise!) It was most certainly a powerful part of my own journey with my gender, realizing that I did not have to be this thing because of the gender that was assigned to me and all of the baggage that comes with that. Asia, thank you so much for joining us today. White: And in that you get to explore other peoples relationship to their gender too. I was having a conversation with a friend recently, and were both cis-gender but realizing a lot of how helpful it is to decouple these gendered characteristics. Its incredibly significant and the significance of it sits alongside something that is a bit difficult for me, which is the fact that according to GLAAD they have this poll about whether or not there have been any trans or non-binary people in a major Hollywood film because The Adjudicator, the character that I play, is never referred to as they/them, which are the pronouns The Adjudicator uses, thats what the script was changed to reflect that, it doesnt count as representation because nobody watching the movie knows that. Youre right, its sort of this radical premise that was probably problematically intended, because this is the whole thing about comedy: Who is the butt of the joke and whats the intention and what were you trying to do? And you see Mafee defending Taylor, which is important for people to watch. Dillon is competing for an Emmy as Supporting Actor. Pats gender was literally the running joke. Watching a lot of kids cartoons, where theres increasing conversation about the impact of gender stereotypes and what that reinforces in cisgender and non-binary and trans kids and maybe how damaging that can be when you watch some of these cartoons, its not even just blue is for boy and pink is for girl. Its like, a car has to have eyelashes, which is a weird thing because its assuming, one, that men and boys dont have eyelashes. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Not everyone identifies within the binary, they say. So, to be honest, after Taylor was introduced, I was kind of bracing myself for some sort of subplot or at least a plot point that was revolving around bigotry, the kind of very special episode type of trope. I had to learn who I was. When I encountered the character breakdown for Taylor, and it did say female non-binary something happened where everything aligned for me, says the actor, who plays the genius hedge fund executive Taylor Mason on the Showtime drama, whose fifth season resumed on Sept. 5. 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. There were versions of the script that had pronouns for the Adjudicator that were he/him, there were versions that had she/her. Cardigan by Maison Kitsun / Shirt and pants by Agns B / Beanie by American Apparel. Asia Kate Dillon wandered into a coffee shop near Brooklyn's Prospect Park looking like a fallen angel taking a personal day: Black shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, black liner circling. I can release she/her pronouns, I can use they/them. Do you have a job? Since 1957, GQ has inspired men to look sharper and live smarter with its unparalleled coverage of style, culture, and beyond. Thats not something that they have to be. And, you know, again, as with all of the relationships on the show, the dynamic between the two characters was very complicated, very nuanced. I wanted to give a little shout out to an Emmy-nominated actor who wrote a guest column for us in July, Carl Clemons-Hopkins. There are certainly situations where Im not correcting people. It mostly feels like a conversation, a dialogue about what pronouns are, what gender identity is, the fact that were all assigned a sex, but that everyone actually has the autonomy to decide how they identify. Im gonna wade into this. Sun: It does. White: Exactly my point. Its really quite extraordinary. But Id also argue that there are a lot of very recent newer cartoons, particularly childrens cartoons, that have followed in Steven Universes footsteps and are very consciously creating. I love wearing wigs. And I thought, Great. Lets talk a little bit about definitions so that all of us can understand the parameters of what well be talking about today. Taylor Mason (Asia Kate Dillon) has come a long way from first joining Axe Capital as an intern, working for Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis). To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories. 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. And its a great moment for the show to say, O.K., heres a character in a dress with long hair and makeup. So yes, its going to happen soon. This is who I am.. To be clear, I am not trying to dampen a moment that is joyous and one that I celebrate, but I want to address the full picture. Dillon identifies as non-binary and uses singular they pronouns. It said, female, gender nonbinary. Keanu Reeves had the idea for a character who wasnt going to take up physical arms in this movie, who had a different kind of power, a quiet power. But the thing about non-binary identity is that you know that youre neither of those. And something happened where everything aligned for me. They have a mild social media following with more than 150k followers on Instagram and more than 50k followers on Twitter. That doesnt mean you should assume that persons gender identity. They made multiple skits, they made a movie out of the fact that people could not identify who Pat was. And then after you get a few more representations, you start to see depictions of people of color and other intersectional portrayals. We are bodies, minds, consciousness; its all much more nuanced and complex and beautiful than we have been taught. I think these are conversations that mixed-race families have too. Asia Kate Dillon is back as Taylor Mason on Showtime's hit series "Billions" and the actor says the remainder of season 5 is going to be wild. But [gender confirmation surgery] is kind of the last partit's sort of the icing on the cake. And its a little remarkable given that the characters are otherwise all kinds of assholes. I knew it would be incredibly impactful. And then the second one is going to be the more positive spin, which is the Hidden Gem. Does that make sense? 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? Steven Universe gets talked about a lot, and I think thats one of the reasons why. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. Thats a conversation about racism, and it feels weird, right? So thank you so much. Getting to wear drag is super fun. White: Star Trek has always been about exploration and asking questions about identity and community and where we belong and how we belong. And so for that not to be part of Taylors story on the show, to not have that special trope episode, its like, Thank goodness. We know that there is a reality in which trans, non-binary, intersex, gender nonconforming people are the targets of hate, bigotry, violence, discrimination, whether its job discrimination, housing discrimination, they have higher rates of bullying and suicide than any other marginalized group. And then when I was cast as Taylor, it felt like the shorter buzz just felt right for the character, honestly, so thats why Ive maintained it. How did the costuming go?The designer and the producers had a vision and they asked me if I was comfortable. Now I have leftovers from last night: a burger, kale with apple cider vinegar. Sun: And that really does emerge in so many different topics when weve been talking about inclusion is that these are sandboxes that are in some ways to use this overworn phrase in a genuine way a safe space to be able to explore some of these stories or identities that mainstream culture wasnt ready for yet. And how would we talk about Pats gender and Pats partners differently versus when we did it then? And based off of that response, we get a new crop of representation and each new step opens another door and we get closer to this thing that I think we all want, which is just a diversity of representation. That doesnt make them a woman. You can have non-binary people in comedy. Anyway, I have this because you never know if theres going to be food somewhere. I think that there are more examples of attempts at transgender portrayals. I also think this conversation isnt just about who were seeing onscreen or larger cultural narratives changing. Sun: You are so gracious to lend your expertise to this topic. Im adapting from that. And guess what, this character is non-binary. Two things Ill bring up. It's something everyone wants, to feel understood. Its also about how a cisgender character responds to the partner. They are not trying to incorporate a character who still ascribes to a gender that people want to force on them. Lets show some skin. Weve long had queer villains, but were getting queer heroes, queer love interests, smart queer people and strong queer people. Business Insider spoke to Asia Kate Dillon, who plays fan-favorite Taylor Mason, about gender identity, fan reactions, and the star's artistic ambitions including a music EP. And when it comes to non-binary identities, I think that also just holds true: White non-binary actors white characters, really, and thats really what this is. And so it is important to have those stories, but growing up, and up until honestly a few years ago, those were the only stories that existed. Whats going on? It is aligned with masculinity. I think it really could go a long way towards dismantling a lot of the toxic masculinity as well as some of the limits that women have. To me, thats a great compliment if they didnt know that the actor playing Taylor is the same actor that plays Brandy on Orange. But now because of Billions people are recognizing me for Orange more. They just know that this person appears in makeup and feminine attire, and a pronoun is never used. Thats super helpful. The thing that I really love about these representations is that they come at the non-binary identity from two different angles. And more importantly, whats the significance of having characters like the guys its mostly guys the characters at Axe Capital be able to normalize gender fluidity acceptance in this way? I'm scared of the invasiveness, the hate, the 'jokes' and of violence. And I think particularly on a show like Billions which as I shared before we started recording, I came to with a lot of preconceived notions and prejudices about what a universe that is constructed of hedge fund traders and wheeling and dealing politicians would be like its kind of refreshing and Ill admit a little bit surprising. With warmth and openness and far more hand gestures than youll see from the actors taciturn characters, Dillon discussed soft power, killer costumes and how to show skin and emotion on camera. And the more we talk about it, the more we can promote the understanding. Asia Kate Dillon has been nominated for 2017, 2018, and 2018 Critics' Choice Television Awards, the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Award, etc. Weve had Axe very matter-of-factly correct peoples pronouns and things like that. Most casting breakdowns specify male and female roles. Actually I was just saying to someone that the fashion industry is funny. Oh, gosh, fun. Neil Gaiman basically said, My angels and demons? Dillon: Frankly, if Im allowed to promote myself and the show, I would say, if you havent watched Billions, watch Billions. Check it out. The thing about being non-binary is, you can be hairy and wear lipstick, and that is non-binary.