'Billions': 5 facts about Asia Kate Dillon who plays Taylor Mason, the first non-binary character on American TV
'Billions' has surely made quite a fanbase with its amazing storyline and cast. Just like the show, Asia Kate Dillon who plays the character of Taylor Mason has also garnered followers since they joined the show. They made history when they played the character of Taylor Mayson in 'Billions', the first non-binary character on American TV.
Born in New York, Dillon always had a thing for acting. They graduated from American Musical and Dramatic Academy and later took the role of Rachel Corrie in the play 'My Name is Rachel Corrie'.Then in 2017, they joined the star cast of 'Billions'. Dillon's character Mason is a non-binary hedge fund intern who works at Axe Capital. They are also the founder of MIRROR/FIRE Productions.
Here are the five things you should know about Asia Kate Dillon.
Theatre experience
Dillon did their graduation from American Musical and Dramatic Academy. They also did the Meisner training program at The Actor's Workshop at the age of 16 and they were the youngest student ever enrolled in the class. With their immense love for theatre, they took the role of Rachel Corrie in the play titled 'My Name is Rachel Corrie' and after this they played significant roles in various plays. They also played Lucifer in 'The Mysteries' and also did a role in 'The Tempest'.
Entry into TV and films
Dillon entered the silver screen back in 2016 when they played the character of Brandy Epps in 'Orange is the New Black'. They played the character of Mason, a non-binary hedge fund intern in 'Billions'. While making submissions for Emmy Award for acting, they chose the gender category 'actor' over 'actress' as 'actor' is a gender-neutral word.
The non-binary actor
Dillon believes in the idea of being gender-neutral and to address them as 'non-binary'. They prefer being addressed as them, they and their. In an interview with ABC News, they explained the term 'non-binary' by saying, "Non-binary is a term used by some people, myself included, who feel that their gender identity falls outside the traditional boxes of man or woman."
They further described how 'Billions' opened a new door for them, personally. Talking to ABC News, they said, "When I got to the script for 'Billions' and the character breakdown for Taylor Mason, the character that I play, said female and non-binary, a little light bulb went off in my head... I did a little bit of research and discovered that female is assigned sex and non-binary is in reference to gender identity and those are two different things. It finally helped me put language to a feeling that I'd had my entire life."
Activism
Dillon is the founder of Mirror/Fire Productions. They have created a performance piece 'US' within the company about racism and Black Lives Matter movement. The description for 'US' reads: "US puts a magnifying glass to racism in the United States in an attempt to uncover the ideological system that continues to brutalize Black people. US uses original text, by Asia Kate Dillon, as well as found text, audio, and video footage. US is performed by White anti-racist actors and while performances are open to all US is expressly intended to educate White people about racism, and what they need to do about it."
On March 28, 2020, when Dillon released their first EP, they donated all the profit to Marsha P Johnson Institute. In an interview with Billboard, when asked about the donation, they said, "It’s important my work uplifts and supports historically marginalized people."
Becoming the 'Billions' star
Dillon joined the star cast of 'Billions' in 2017 where they played the character of Taylor Mason in the show. Taylor is a non-binary hedge fund intern who works with Axe Capital. The intelligent character has gained a lot of popularity and the fanbase hugely includes people from the LGBTQ+ community. Dillon's character in the show is known for the "out of the box" thinking and witty remarks.
You can watch all five seasons of 'Billions' on the Showtime App, Disney+Hotstar and Starzplay.