I'm scared of the invasiveness, the hate, the 'jokes' and of violence. 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. Does that make sense? And thats what the term non-binary is about: Its more like a sphere that you can walk into, and it exists fluidly. And so you see a character like Bugs Bunny who dresses in drag. 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. I think they were intending Pat to be the butt of the joke, but I would love to see a 21st century reinterpretation where I feel like you could keep the premise almost identical and youre just adjusting the frame so that the butt of the joke becomes society and the need to put Pat into a binary framework. Demi Lovato I think was the most recent really big announcement. Fast & Furious: Crossroads: Gameplay Trailer. Sun: How intentional I mean, its probably safe to assume that Looney Tunes, Chuck Jones and those creators werent necessarily conscious or fully cognizant of that but these latter-day animators, this current generation you mentioned Adventure Time. Asia, thank you so much for joining us today. I think that non-binary identity is still sort of fresh for much of the industry. (Laughs.) Shes fluffy and puffy, but shes sturdy. I use non-binary to describe my gender identity because my gender identity falls outside the boxes of man or woman. They essentially do the thing that we often see men, male heroes, in cartoons do. 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. Id like to talk about SNLs Pat. Like when that happens, we dont see Taylor being cut down by that, it just reveals that the person whos doing it is horrible. Sun: Thats okay. Asia Kate Dillon wandered into a coffee shop near Brooklyns Prospect Park looking like a fallen angel taking a personal day: Black shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, black liner circling each eye. Do they get to have a voice? 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. They've spent time in prison on Netflix's Orange Is the New Black and. The last two questions we ask every guest, the first one is Hollywood Remixed, which is: Is there a prior attempt since we were talking about attempts attempt at a non-binary representation that you would request a do-over for? Asia Kate Dillon, an actor with non-binary gender identity, was approached for the role of The Adjudicator, who exercised admirable agency in their request to have their character also be non-binary. They are available to me. I think these are conversations that mixed-race families have too. I dont want to give an excuse and say trial and error, but you do see a lot of errors on the interminable road of progress. Asia Kate Dillon attends the Season 5 celebration of "Orange is the New Black" at Catch, June 9, 2017, in N.Y. Taylor Hill/FilmMagic via Getty Images, FILE Thats a really powerful part of non-binary representation in media. And why do I ascribe these essential character traits to being a man? Like, how can I be this thing if people cant see it, if Im not showing it in some way via a physical, medical change? Our producer, Matt, is going to kill me if I do a three-hour conversation about metaphysics, but what I love is that Taylor now that Taylor has been on the show for four seasons the representation of Taylor is awakening that kind of consciousness to an untold, an innumerable number of people who get to watch Billions. 174 Asia Kate Dillon pictures. 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. I will not play a character where its essential that you have to see that persons body, and that person was assigned male at birth, and that person has not medically transitioned in any way. But the whole show is kind of morally gray, which is what I like about it. Asia Kate Dillon - Net Worth, Salary. Im curious about whether you had any input in shaping that backstory, and would you be comfortable sharing whether or not any of it was informed or inspired by your own personal experience? It feels sensational. Lets distinguish todays conversation: Were going to be speaking of the identities that fall under the non-binary identity, but its different from transgender. 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. At . From award-winning writing and photography to binge-ready videos to electric live events, GQ meets millions of modern men where they live, creating the moments that create conversations. Do you think thats what Alec Baldwin achieves on SNL?I havent been watching! What is it like playing a nonbinary character in the hypermasculine world of Billions? 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. Sun: Yeah, it does. My first day on set there was a Red Bull on Taylors desk, and we were like, Taylor wouldnt drink red bull. We're human beings, and this is a human life. Sun: No, I appreciate that. But I do think that its happening. And its pretty clear to me when Im engaging with people who arent coming from that place, who just arent coming from a place of love or who arent being genuine, and so because its generally fortunately for me pretty clear whos coming from where, Im able actually to put my energy into a place that feels worth it, where Im getting something out of the exchange too, versus talking to a brick wall that I know is really immovable. Can they have conversations about gender nonconformity and change maybe not only how we think about or write a character that is non-binary, but also cisgender characters. LGBTQ activists and allies have advocated for gender-neutral acting categories at major awards ceremonies like the Oscars and the Golden Globes. You're not beautiful despite those things, you're beautiful because of those things, and [believing] that has to be an active conscious process. I thought, if youre nonbinary, can you also be female? It needs to happen because there is a non-binary writer whos been brought in, a consultant, a producer. And its really this fluid space for this character. Steven is a gender nonconforming boy, and his family are basically these feminine non-binary, non-gendered aliens who are super warriors. And that applies to representation on television and film. 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. 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. But there are a lot of people on that set. But tell me a little bit about the existence of non-binary representations of color. 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. But theres also something freeing about seeing a character who walks around and is comfortable with who they are. Sun: Just to set the scene for people, this isnt like a quixotic quest. We want it to look hot. I knew it would be incredibly impactful. And frankly, that is one of the reasons that I really wanted to play the part, not only as an actor getting to play a character who is integral to the storyline, but a non-binary character who is integral to the storyline is extraordinarily important because then that characters story isnt just maybe a one- or two-episode arc. Sun: It is also great to see that spoiler alert when Taylor briefly breaks away and sets up their own rival firm for a while, basically Axe and Wags spent an entire season plotting how to take you down, but at no point did they entertain weaponizing gender identity against you or anything like that. The balance is too far on one side for now. I think about the concept of the bearded lady, which has been around forever. ", "I think from my teenage years, when I decided I needed to express my femininity, I was happy with the way I looked. Pink is his associated color, and his weapons and powers are defensive things. Theyre not gendered, and the pronouns are very purposeful, and thats based off, [according to] the experts that Ive talked to, a really age-appropriate way to reach kids that they can understand. An example of that is when I am misgendered. And I personally had not felt, and I still dont feel, that hormones or surgery are a part of my journey. Were all babies and then someone looks at whats between our legs and assigns us a sex, then a gender identity is placed on top. So I dont have to change my body, I can release she/her pronouns, I can use they/them. So how would you find a trans actor when your entire government is like, you shouldnt exist? If it had been that I wouldnt have wanted to do it. In terms of the ongoing conversation around Taylors gender identity over the past four seasons, I would say there has been very little, because that is just one part of what makes up who Taylor is. And I do have plastic tupperware in my bag that I take home and wash. The fact that they're the most sensational things for you, as a non-trans person, as a cis person, I think says a lot about how we've framed trans people as these objects of dissection, of modern-day freak shows in a way. I like lists. Sun: Absolutely. So one, theres a shortage of roles and thats something that cant be ignored in the conversation about who gets to play who. Thats really all that they have. I could use a little help and understanding: Is that the same as or different from or similar to gender nonconforming or genderqueer or gender fluid? It was very overdue. In this weeks episode of Hollywood Remixed, The Hollywood Reporters podcast about inclusion and representation in entertainment, Billions Asia Kate Dillon joins the show to talk about how non-binary representation changes lives starting with their own. And I know that because thats been reflected to me by people who have reached out to me on social media or come up to me on the street. My mom was an SNL hound. Asia Kate Dillon was born on November 15, 1984 in Ithaca, New York, USA. Born Name "Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot. Thats a message of self-care, is what youre saying: Dont expose yourself to problematic portrayals. Like when you go to fast fashion stores and youre like, Im going to get this gender neutral piece of clothing, its not a skirt. And I think the same thing applies when were talking about gender portrayals. I just had literally no example, but I also knew that she/her didnt feel right to me, but I also didnt know how to claim another set of pronouns if I wasnt changing my body, because I had a sense of what they call imposter syndrome. This is something that youve been speaking about for several years. And theres all these different sorts of weird characters. And something happened where everything aligned for me. And I thought, Great. What I remember is receiving that script and reading those scenes and crying and thinking, This is exactly right on for Taylor, for Taylors father. And the problem up until now has been that there has been the majority of one kind of representation. Is it hard and challenging to play a character like that? "I love that I am trans. Sun: I want to start by acknowledging that when it comes to belonging to a marginalized or underrepresented identity, theres never an obligation to teach others. Who would have thought? Men dont have to be toxic. Find Asia kate dillon stock images in HD and millions of other royalty-free stock photos, illustrations and vectors in the Shutterstock collection. That doesnt make them a woman. I combed through this in the first half of this podcast with one of my colleagues who is non-binary, and theres not a long history. One show that I got hooked on during the pandemic was Good Trouble, which is a follow-up to Freeforms The Fosters. 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. — -- 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 . Click here for your trial subscription: https:. Im not an actor, I think asking a non-binary actor about this and about their own experience is very interesting, but Ive talked to some voice actors, some actors, and theyre still existing in the binary. I was surprised by how seamlessly a show about intense finance guys was able to work in a character whosnot that.The amazing thing that happens with the introduction of Taylor is that all of these men who have felt that they needed to be hyper-masculine are now confrontedfor the first timewith someone who is not hyper-masculine and is more successful and better at the job than they are.