Asia Kate Dillon would never play a nonbinary character if it was ‘tokenizing’

The 23rd Annual Critics' Choice Awards - Arrivals

I was such a lazy bum this weekend, but it was because Showtime did a marathon of Billions and after years of never watching it, I got completely hooked. Binge-watching almost all of season 2 and 3 made me love that friggin’ show so hard. I’ve always been a Damian Lewis fan and a Paul Giamatti fan, so I don’t know why I avoided the show for so long other than “I’m an a–hole.” Anyway, I know I’m late to the Billions party but it’s a great show. It reminds me a little bit of the good first years of The Good Wife. Anyway, the scene-stealer of the whole show is Asia Kate Dillon, the first nonbinary series regular/cast-member in the history of television. Dillon is nonbinary in real life, and they are nonbinary on the show, playing a brilliant wunderkind mathematician named Taylor. We’re supposed to use they/them pronouns, not gendered he/she pronouns for nonbinary individuals. Anyway, Dillon loves this gig on Billions because the script writers allow Dillon’s character to be multi-dimensional and “not precious.”

For Dillon playing Taylor is a “joy…Mostly it makes me grateful for a show like ‘Billions,” which I feel is a real reflection of the way in which power and money operate in this country.”

As Dillon explains it, when they started as a recurring character in Season 2, Taylor was ”sort of introduced as this moral and ethical center in a very unethical world.” A young, queer and nonbinary person entering the male-dominated hedge fund world, their character acted as an antidote to the hedge fund’s money-hungry male employees. But, as Dillon said, power and money “corrupt” and their character wasn’t immune.

“I would have never wanted to play Taylor if it had been a one-off episode and in that episode it would have been all about their gender identity,” Dillon said. “If it hadn’t been a fully fleshed-out character, I wouldn’t have wanted to do it, because that representation is old hat, frankly, and not interesting.” Even more, Dillon thinks facile representation can feel “tokenizing” and doesn’t want to be “made precious.”

“Nonbinary people are multi-dimensional human beings,” Dillon said, adding that often trans and nonbinary representation can feel flat. “You either get a one-dimensional trans, nonbinary or gender non-conforming character, and that’s what the story is about it — and it’s usually tragic,” Dillon explained. “Or you get the other end, where because a person is trans, nonbinary, or gender-nonconforming, they have to be perfect and angelic so that we can make sure to say: ‘Oh, they’re not scary, they can be good people too.’” Dillon thinks that kind of representation is “a disservice to the truth that we are all imperfect.”

[From NBC News]

It’s true, across the board. The Taylor character is so well-written, and Taylor quickly became some of kind of moral center grounding the toxic-bro bulls–t of that world. But to call them a moral center does a disservice to where the show runners are taking the character – on the premiere episode of Season 4 on Sunday, Taylor made the decision to present themselves as a woman – with a wig and a dress – to impress some Saudi princes and convince the Saudis to invest with Taylor’s new firm. To have the CHARACTER make that kind of decision to hide their nonbinary status for business purposes was a shocking moment. I’m still shook. But yeah, I know I’m late to the party. I’m so into this show now.

The 24th Annual Critics Choice Awards

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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8 Responses to “Asia Kate Dillon would never play a nonbinary character if it was ‘tokenizing’”

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  1. Dorothy says:

    The thing that makes it hard for me is sometimes when reading I get confused I think we’ve switched into multiple people because of the of “them “tag but I will get used to it, Thank you for bringing this to my attention I haven’t heard of it at all so I’m An a hole I even have non-binary friends so I fell extra crappy

  2. Christina says:

    Jeez!

  3. Dara says:

    I loved the moment when Taylor first came face to face with Bobby and announced their pronouns were they and them and the bro-ist of bros just shrugged, said ok and moved right the fuck on. No judgment, no hesitation, just immediate acceptance and getting back to work. Bobby Axelrod is a son-of-a-bitch, but that scene made me love him, and the show, even more than I already did.

    • jay says:

      I wanted to love it…but I think a more realistic scene would have been Bobby referring to Taylor as “her” and Taylor then correcting him. This is how it happens in real life. I don’t think trans people walk into rooms and announce their pronouns. And I definitely don’t think the workplace is as chill about it as Bobby. I thought the scene made Taylor look bad because it wasn’t relevant to bring up pronouns, hence the wtf looks on the dudes faces. Why let the white guys look like woke heroes? Didn’t we JUST go through this with Green Book?

  4. otaku fairy... says:

    “Or you get the other end, where because a person is trans, nonbinary, or gender-nonconforming, they have to be perfect and angelic so that we can make sure to say: ‘Oh, they’re not scary, they can be good people too.’ ” Yep. That is a disservice, even though on the surface it looks progressive to some people. It’s unrealistic and it’s dehumanizing.

  5. Nanea says:

    AKD is in John Wick III, and I’m really looking forward to that part of the story arc (fight?). Even if they’re just another someone who are after JW’s hide/dog/bounty on his head…

  6. NEENA ZEE says:

    I’ve worked in and around the hedge fund industry for decades… I’m obsessed with Billions. So much is accurate, though pronounced for entertainment purposes. And the cast is amazing. Really, does it get much better than Damian Lewis, Paul Giamatti, Maggie Siff and David Costabile? Hugely entertaining show for people that love watching how a teeny tiny part of the 1% live, spend, influence and consolidate power.