So I dont know if youve you had heard of that. The Carson Kolker Organization manages Asia Kate Dillon. They've spent time in prison on Netflix's Orange Is the New Black and. Sun: Yeah, it does. My name is Trevi Moran. 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. But I do think that its happening. And then the second one is going to be the more positive spin, which is the Hidden Gem. 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. In 2017, when Showtime asked me how I want to be submitted for an Emmy, actor or actress, I thought, Well, I know that I use the word actor and always have, because actor is a gender-neutral word that has existed for at least a century before the word actress came into being. Anyone can read what you share. Not that Im taking that whole responsibility on myself, but that is work Im specifically engaging in. Taylors gender identity doesnt get in the way of his ultimate goal. This is who I am. I also think this conversation isnt just about who were seeing onscreen or larger cultural narratives changing. 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. In 2017, "Billions" star Asia Kate Dillon, the. This applies also to disability representation and also religious representation. Asia Kate Dillon - Net Worth, Salary. They are known for playing Brandy Epps in Orange Is the New Black (2013) and Taylor Mason in Billions (2016). At the beginning of this season, Taylor shows up in female drag. Thank you for your really thoughtful questions. 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. Abbey White: Yeah, Ive been here for a couple of months and this is our first meeting, so Im very excited about that. Lets keep going. And I love that I am queer. 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. The surgery didn't solve all of my issues, but it did offer a sense of peace and comfort that wasn't otherwise there. Why actor Asia Kate Dillon is neither woman nor man - Yahoo I've spent my entire youth and life fighting against that. Not everyone identifies within the binary, they say. Stillness is really important in terms of Taylor. Whats wrong with him?!. And I feel really grateful that its always felt like a very safe space to do that. There were versions of the script that had pronouns for the Adjudicator that were he/him, there were versions that had she/her. White: Yeah, I had. They're the least interesting things about me. I love how much you love the show. It was very overdue. I didnt want to take hormones, thats not my journey. Thank you very much. The level of sensitivity with which those characters have been afforded, the level of humanity that they have been afforded, is not anywhere near what it is now. You can have non-binary people in comedy. My joy is real, but it is also fragile. It sounds so parochial, the Masons.. And also that a car, which is an inanimate object, would need to have a gender explicitly. 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. Billions or Orange Is the New Black?They are literally so different. Whatever that role is that speaks to me, if Im the right actor for that role, thats what will happen. The balance is too far on one side for now. I understand because so much of our world is basically coded through this very firm gender binary. It didnt come out of a social justice place to create a token character, or to be the first show with a non-binary character. Abbey, thank you so much for joining us on this podcast today. Cardigan by Maison Kitsun / Shirt and pants by Agns B / Beanie by American Apparel. My research yielded one such example way back in 1992, so this is 30 years ago. And it really feels synchronistic to me that Taylor came into my life at a time when I was really ready to say, I have to be brave. Dillon: I encounter this and it doesnt matter what room I was in specifically but where were going around and saying our names, and I am the only person that will offer my pronouns. 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. 454 1. Its important to me because it is me. 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. I'm scared of the invasiveness, the hate, the 'jokes' and of violence. And I say, Well, Taylor wouldnt say policemen, they would say cop' or some gender neutral version of whatever the word is. Thats super helpful. ", "Part of my public work is talking about my life experiences and what I've gone through. Sun: I think it was incredibly thoughtful. Asia Kate Dillon Net Worth. That sounds juicy, tell me more about that.Theres a lot of healthy food on both sets, which is really nice. 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. 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? 'Billions' Star Asia Kate Dillon on Gender Identity and Fan Reactions 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. I felt really comfortable and safe this whole time, and that doesnt always happen. What is it like playing a nonbinary character in the hypermasculine world of Billions? I hope that wasnt too rambling. "Hi. immyukily. And that seems really radical, tucked within that very problematic representation. Asia Kate Dillon was born on November 15, 1984 in Ithaca, New York, USA. 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? Sometimes you say it until you believe it. And I think our media is really representative of how that conversation has changed. 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. And what kinds of ongoing collaborations do you have with discussing this aspect of Taylors character and their storylines? Asia Kate Dillon & Dan Soder Immediately Hit it Off on 'Billions' If youre not just working with the primary cast there are up to 150 background characters, so you need a lot of snacks. 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. A woman can have a beard and be a woman, but someone can have a beard and also be non-binary. I am one of those people and we won't be silent in the face of your attacks. Speaking to The New York Times, Dillon revealed that they said to the film's director, Chad Stahelski, "we have a real opportunity here. 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? So thank you. Sun: I cribbed that from ah, which scholar coined the invisibility of whiteness? Although as an actor, Im never judging the character that Im playing, because thats not helpful. But Taylor is not drinking Red Bull. I got to speak to NPR about it, and Ill just repeat something that I said there, which is like, Okay, so then if Denzel Washington can enter as an actress and Viola Davis can enter as an actor, then the Emmys themselves have shown the categories to be absurd and archaic and ultimately meaningless. It needs to happen because there is a non-binary writer whos been brought in, a consultant, a producer. Theres a character, Milo, whos Black in Danger & Eggs. Im a marginalized person because Im nonbinary, but I carry white body privilege. 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. Ive spoken to child development experts about childrens media and gender, and that binary in kids isnt inherent. The net worth of Asia Kate Dillon is estimated to be around $4 million while the figure on their annual income/salary is under review. Thousands of new, high-quality pictures are added every day. I can enter the actor category because the word actor is non-gendered and that works for me. The other may be unintentional, but it definitely resonated with me, particularly due to the animation style. And if its not intersectional then its not feminism, really. Why is it important to you to identify as nonbinary rather than to just expand the definition of what woman can mean? We also have Xavin, who is an alien but is a non-binary alien in Marvels Runaways. Sun: It does. And then after you get a few more representations, you start to see depictions of people of color and other intersectional portrayals. The thing that I really love about these representations is that they come at the non-binary identity from two different angles. Nonbinary, gender-nonconforming, and trans people have always been around, just as long as any other type of person. 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. And I applaud the Gotham Awards for abolishing their gendered acting categories. 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. It was surprising to me that nobody in the Billions universe has really struggled with or had trouble respecting Taylors gender identity. Its not even about non-binary white actors. ", "I'm not [transitioning] to be interesting. I think about Billions, I think about Vida. 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. So in that sense, I think expanding the definition of what a woman is is great for people who identify as women and want to work at expanding that definition for themselves and the world at large. To see a trans body in this ideal spaceon a cover, in an adthese are spaces that have immense cultural power to dictate what is beautiful, what is glamorous, what is aspirational, what is sexy, what is clean. Its basically about a boy and his talking dog who go into this Land of Ooo. I feel like I can talk to Brian and David about anything, ask them anything. 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? Do you have somewhere to be? Weve had enough of that. I almost feel like as a cisgender person in other words, somebody who identifies as the gender they were assigned at birth, if Im defining that correctly it has been in some ways easier for me to understand a transgender person who still exists along the gender binary. This is who I am.. I think, Actually, I do need to take this opportunity to engage in this conversation, because there is perhaps a bridge to understanding here that will benefit people who dont have a voice, who cant walk down the street without being told to kill themselves.. "Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot. My pronouns are they/them. Sun: Its an incredible example of life imitating art. All rights reserved. Actor Asia Kate Dillon predicts that widespread scrapping of gendered entertainment categories is just a matter of time. Im incredibly proud of Taylor as a character. And its really this fluid space for this character. And because it is not the focal point of Taylors storyline on the show, the things that I talk with Brian and David about are financial stuff, stuff that has to do with the financial world, or what Taylor knows or doesnt know about certain things with regard to the job.