Asia Kate Dillon is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. I first saw them in Billions, where Dillon absolutely blew me away. They were so good in that role, although I tapped out of Billions when Damian Lewis left the show. Billions ended in 2023, and it looks like that was Dillon’s last regular gig. Well, they have an announcement – they’re open to food service jobs because they can no longer support themselves via acting jobs. Dillon says that there seems to be an industry-wide downturn for nonbinary, trans and gender nonconforming actors.

Asia Kate Dillon, who starred in shows like “Orange Is the New Black” and “Billions,” took to social media on Tuesday to share that they are looking for service work after their acting work “has all but diminished” after eleven years in the industry.

Dillon began their statement by going through previous service jobs they’ve held, from dishwasher to floor manager to food runner. “When I was fifteen, I got my first job in food service,” they wrote, and stayed in the industry until they were able to support themselves full-time as an actor. Here is Dillon’s full statement:

Hello! In the year 2000, when I was fifteen, I got my first job in food service. It was a weekend gig at the (locally) famous, always bustling Ithaca Bakery. I worked mornings; first up was sorting the freshly baked piping hot bagels in their respective bins, and then I would move into rotating and stocking the drink fridges. Throughout my shift my duties included maintaining the coffee station in the center of the retail floor – lids, sugars, straws, stirrers, sleeves, I kept everything very tidy – cleaning and restocking the restroom, mopping up inevitable customer spills, ferrying dirty and then clean dish bins to and from the dining areas, and greeting customers. I loved it.

Ranging from dishwasher to food runner to floor manager, I continued working in food and general customer service, alongside any acting gigs I could rustle up, until the fall of 2015 when I was finally able to make the transition to a full time income stemming from just my acting work. I have worked exclusively in theater, film and TV for the last eleven years.

Now, like for many, many performer colleagues of mine – particularly those of us who are trans/nonbinary/gender nonconforming – acting work has all but diminished, and I’m in need of service work once more.

I love customer service. I love creating welcoming environments for people to relax in and connect with each other. I love food and drink. I am passionate and curious, and a great teammate. I imagine the hurdle to reentry will be learning the new POS systems, but I’m a quick study. I’m available for part time, night and weekend work.

Thanks in advance for your consideration.

All best,
Asia Kate Dillon

[From Variety]

Do you think they meant this as a literal career update, like “hey, I’m open to service jobs, the acting thing isn’t working out.” Or is Dillon trying to make a larger point and possibly shame the industry, and/or encourage someone to hire them for an acting job? Or a little of column A, a little of Column B? Yeah, it’s probably all of the above – Dillon genuinely needs work of any kind, and they’re also drawing attention to the limited (if not nonexistent) opportunities for non-binary actors not named Emma D’Arcy or Emma Corrin. Man, the British non-binary actors are killing it, right? Corrin and D’Arcy are working steadily all over the place. It’s a shame that Hollywood is so “risk-adverse” when it comes to hiring actors like Asia Kate.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.