Although as an actor, Im never judging the character that Im playing, because thats not helpful. But now I'm here, and I'm transgender. Taylor is able to feel the most free when there are very clear boundaries. What is my frame of reference? They had more lines. I think about Billions, I think about Vida. But how about this: Because I know that your position has modified or evolved somewhat from 2017 and 2018, when you received back-to-back nominations for best supporting actor at Critics Choice Awards, and the Emmys allowed you to submit in the supporting actor category, and that was something that you did at the time where are you right now in terms of how you feel about this whole situation, this whole issue? Sun: These arent, like, Adult Swim cartoons that come on at 3 a.m. for grownups to watch, but this is childrens programming and is age-appropriate in terms of all the aspects in which that matters. White: Okay. Dillon handles the encounter with grace and without judgement; they are one of the most chill, open-hearted, and patient people/actors Ive ever met. Its very difficult for me to dismantle it, Ill be honest. It is exactly the kind of conversation that I believe that they would it just rang so true for the characters, and I thought it beautifully handled a father who genuinely loves his child, genuinely wants to be there and to learn, and admitted within the scene that hes trying, you know? Asia Kate Dillon has been nominated for 2017, 2018, and 2018 Critics' Choice Television Awards, the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Award, etc. Thats not a part that Im going to play. Please subscribe to Hollywood Remixed on the podcast platform of your choice so that you dont miss it. And I would argue that live-action non-binary and trans characters have also done this. But then I went to an alternative high school where you played whatever part they thought you were the best for. I've spent my entire youth and life fighting against that. They spend a lot of times being the butts of jokes. 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. 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. In my real life, Im a Black Lives Matter social justice activist, and so it was incredibly interesting to me to play somebody coming from the totally opposite side, whose beliefs are as deeply entrenched as deeply felt, and given as much gravity, as I give my beliefs. If you have a kid who comes out as non-binary, you get to watch this father actively work from a place of love to learn to love his child again, or in a new way, or something. Its not a perfect circle; theres animation thats not for kids and theres obviously kids content thats live-action. 454 1. Elliot Page, Laverne Cox, Josie Totah and more actors and influencers share important reflections and lessons from their experiences as transgender people. The Masons and these are just mild spoilers , Dillon: The Masons! 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. I think Pat was a joke. The creators, David and Bryan, both have children of various ages, and their kids would come home and be talking to them and say like, Yeah my friend is coming over, theyll be here at 6:00. And Brian or David would say Wait, how many people are coming? Or, They? It began as an organic conversation about their kids worlds and their kids friends, so when they were developing a character that was younger, who was an intern, it just sort of made sense to them to have that character be in this world. Weve long had queer villains, but were getting queer heroes, queer love interests, smart queer people and strong queer people. And you see Mafee defending Taylor, which is important for people to watch. The thing that I really love about these representations is that they come at the non-binary identity from two different angles. They have accumulated good wealth from their acting career. At the beginning of this season, Taylor shows up in female drag. My name is Trevi Moran. Sun: I will give people a spoiler alert if I go into that. There is no question about it; everybody else around adjusts. Thats not something that they have to be. Im definitely still learning. And so I had literally no example of a person who didnt identify as a man or a woman but hadnt changed their body. Im thinking of John Malkovichs character, who misgenders Taylor and its like, well, that makes sense in that context. I dont know if that answers your question. And its past time. Giving other people time is important. Matt Dillon ( Full name: Matthew Raymond Dillon) is a 57-year-old American actor and film director who was born on February 18, 1964, in Back in 2016, fans of the critically acclaimed Netflix dramedy "Orange Is the New Black" were introduced to the character Brandy Epps, a member of the prison's white supremacy gang. We have a gender binary-enforced society, and conversion therapy is meant to enforce that binary rather than the other way around. Your characters get to do different things and they get to be different people, and thats because theyre not conforming to that binary. Asia Kate Dillon was born on November 15, 1984 in Ithaca, New York, USA. Weve had enough of that. I got a casting breakdown from my agent. Its about changing and evolving the material that is created within quote-unquote Hollywood.. Sun: Yes, thank you. Asia Kate Dillon talks about how landing a non-binary role on "Billions" has changed their career. A lot of brands are saying theyre going to make gender neutral clothing. And what kinds of ongoing collaborations do you have with discussing this aspect of Taylors character and their storylines? Im so glad we finally got to talk. Theres still not enough, so lets keep going. And thats something thats kind of imposed on children. To be here. Min. White: Yeah, because its a baby, you know. Stillness is really important in terms of Taylor. Theyre little, theyre super cute and their storyline is basically about how one helps the other feel better but in the process sort of confesses their love for the other one. I would still argue that most non-binary representation is white, but theres progress. They are known for playing Brandy Epps in Orange Is the New Black (2013) and Taylor Mason in Billions (2016). I'm scared of the invasiveness, the hate, the 'jokes' and of violence. "I think it's important to be able to be like, 'Yes, your shoulders are broad, yes your hands are big and your voice is deep and you're really tall and people notice you, and that makes you noticeably trans, but that doesn't make you any less beautiful. So thats GLAADs poll, and also people saw the movie and tweeted at me or messaged me and said, like, I cant believe theres a non-binary character in this movie. I mean, every press release that came out about the movie where I was talking about it, I was very upfront: This character is non-binary, it wasnt written that way, the studio and Chad Stahelski and Keanu, they loved it. And so you see a character like Bugs Bunny who dresses in drag. That sounds juicy, tell me more about that.Theres a lot of healthy food on both sets, which is really nice. They dont ascribe to human gender identity. And in that same space of the bearded woman, there is a gender nonconformity there, right? 107. I would like to be, though. 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. As an actor, as a performer, do you have any preference towards playing characters whose gender identity matches your own? You know what I mean? I carry that with me when Im out in the world and Im misgendered. In the "Beyond the Binary" episode of THR's inclusion-themed podcast, the actor shares how their groundbreaking character helped them understand their own gender identity, and makes the case for gender neutral acting awards categories. This is reality for us, and all we ask for is acceptance and validation for what we say that we are. White: I mean, I wouldnt say it looks like cisgender racial representation at all. Especially just being exposed to online discourse, anybody whos online for a certain period of time starts to have a detector for that type of thing. In season two, we have Axe in that scene where Taylor introduces themself and says, These are my pronouns, and Axe just says, Okay. And Mafee is the other person in that scene, who we already know is sort of Taylors BFF, very quick BFF, so we see Axe accepting Taylor in that moment and just moving on and being like, Okay, on to business. And then there is Axe I think correcting Dollar Bill in a subsequent episode. And so that really, depending on who youre talking to, will influence how they define non-binary and also how they describe their own gender. Your character has had some nude scenes, including a sex scene opposite Mike Birbiglias venture philanthropist character last season. My joy is real, but it is also fragile. 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 think these are conversations that mixed-race families have too. 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? I think about the concept of angels and demons. White: Oh, absolutely. (Laughs.) I think that thats one of those things where when you are describing it to that extent, I think it indicates that youre really thinking about the intention of why youre taking on something and or why youre not. 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. Dillon is also the founder and the producing director of MIRROR/FIRE Productions. 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. Sun: To lay the infrastructure, so to speak, for the framework for understanding that these are experiences that exist outside of the personal framework for the decision-makers. Theres no question. I didnt want to take hormones, thats not my journey. Their role on Billions is the first gender non-binary character shown on American television. Thats a message of self-care, is what youre saying: Dont expose yourself to problematic portrayals. And also it has probably just seldom been attempted, to be honest. I think thats honestly one of the most radical things about Ted Lasso. I would say that elements of Bugs Bunnys representation have gender nonconformity, and that can apply to anybody, not just non-binary people. So, Abbey, thank you for helping expand my understanding of this. Or Im getting a coffee and I get called Miss, and I dont have the time or the energy. In 2020 alone it has been reported that at least 40 transgender people have been murdered, the majority of which were Black and Latinx trans women. Sun: It was really enjoyable. White: Thats the weight of the first, right? I have gender fluid friends who say that theyre gender fluid, but also because some people arent really familiar with that very specific term, theyll just choose non-binary. Some friends are like, Nope, its not the same. But its always safest to use it as an umbrella term, and then very specifically ask somebody, What is your gender? But I also think that sci-fi and fantasy are about places of imagination and exploration, and in the same way that animation is this place where we do not have to exist within the limits of humanness, its an incredible place to explore lots of things, things that we want to see, things that we want to be. And I realized that once I tried to start learning more about non-binary, its like, Wow, we are so firmly, fundamentally wedded to this idea of this or that, male or female. Thats why today I really wanted to focus on when you are neither this nor that. Dillon: The aspect of gender identity, specifically? And you will frankly eliminate the likelihood that you have a non-binary character that Im going to go, God, you really need to do that over because that was bad.. But I also think whats interesting, and I think this circles in about trans representation, is that Hollywood has treated trans people historically like costumes. The roles that are offered to them are gendered, are specifically gendered as male or female, man or woman. They can be in literally anything. Asia Kate Dillon is a performer, writer and director residing in New York City. Fast & Furious: Crossroads: Gameplay Trailer. That was a real pleasure. Another one that I think about a lot and Ive been thinking about increasingly in the past couple of years is Adventure Time. I love how much you love the show. And so it makes a lot of logical sense to me that that would be a genre that people leaned into. But I also think for people like me, Pat was a door to asking ourselves who we are and really starting to get comfortable even if no one else around us was get comfortable personally with not being in that binary, maybe not being the gender that somebody said we were, and maybe not even being the other gender option that somebody said we could be. And sometimes youre just at the last door, which sounds terrible. 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. Sun: Just to set the scene for people, this isnt like a quixotic quest. Check out the latest pictures, photos and images of Asia Kate Dillon. Anyway, I have this because you never know if theres going to be food somewhere. I always have a power ranking after every episode, and Taylor has pretty consistently been my number one character basically since Connerty went to jail and Wendy became incredibly morally ambiguous. Prior to encountering the character breakdown for Taylor, I had been experimenting with removing she/her pronouns from online bio materials and just using my name, but frankly, the only trans people that I had been aware of prior to encountering Taylor had undergone some sort of either medical or physical change, whether it was taking hormones or some kind of surgery so that they could live fully as themselves in their identity. I think thats an archaic alignment, and Im excited for a future in which we dont do that. But tell me a little bit about the existence of non-binary representations of color. It makes me feel freer than ever. Sun: Another recurring theme in the larger conversation about inclusion. Sun: It just wasnt essential for that baby to have a gender. 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. White: In animation, because it is such a fluid medium, because it doesnt have to ascribe to the physical realism that exists in live-action film and TV, you can be super expressive, and I think theres a long history of people exploring gender intentionally and unintentionally through animation. And I think thats part of the larger history around non-binary representation in film and television. But its through the media. My pronouns are they/them. Asia Kate Dillion talks about acting alongside Dan Soder in 'Billions.'Hear more from Faction Talk on our app! Neil Gaiman basically said, My angels and demons? 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. 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. Lets distinguish todays conversation: Were going to be speaking of the identities that fall under the non-binary identity, but its different from transgender. Thats a conversation about racism, and it feels weird, right? I went in, met with Chad [the John Wick director Chad Stahelski]. Thank you again. "I love that I am trans. ", "[As a model], I definitely don't want to tell trans people that they need to buy things in order to fully come into themselves as a trans person. And, you know, again, as with all of the relationships on the show, the dynamic between the two characters was very complicated, very nuanced. Gender nonconformity has traditionally been a means of exploring horror narratives. But I do think that if I was going to redo one, I would really love to see Pat in 2021, like what would that narrative actually look like? His sister is trans and this season Gael finds out that hes a dad. Showing Editorial results for asia kate dillon. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/26/arts/television/asia-kate-dillon-billions.html, Asia Kate Dillon with Lance Reddick in John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum., I dont have to change my body, said Dillon. I remember in middle school they were going to do Oliver! I was so excited to audition to play Oliver and then realized I couldnt, because I hadnt been assigned male at birth. Maybe because it feels like not a safe space. So INSTEAD I want to be visible to queer folx who don't see people like them on their feed. You kind of feel like you're chasing something you can never attain. You tend to play characters who are emotionally closed off. And obviously this is not an intentional non-binary representation, but . So thats what I did. And if every character I played from now until I die onscreen or on the stage was non-binary, that would be awesome. Search instead in Creative? View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. We talked a little bit about Star Trek, and feel free to bring in other examples if they exist, but tell me a little bit about how they have treated this subject of gender expression. I was just thinking about Alec Baldwin because hes on the current cover of The Atlantic, and I was just thinking that we have to be able to laugh at someone like 45. My mom was a pop culture hound; all of my pop culture interests really derived from her and my relationship with her. 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.
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