“We’ve been thinking a lot about what inclusivity means and about how somebody from the outside, how one would think somebody from outside would be treated and how it was actually possible for them to be treated,” said Billions co-creator Brian Koppelman of the introduction of a gender-nonbinary character into the testosterone-heavy hedge fund world in the Showtime series’ second season.
The Rounders co-writer was joined onstage at the DGA Theater at Deadline’s The Contenders Emmys all-day event last month by Billions co-creator and the other Rounders scribe David Levin and cast members Maggie Siff and Asia Kate Dillon.
Having been introduced early in the most recent season as Axe Capital analyst and prodigy Taylor Mason in the series led by Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti, Dillon broke a barrier in playing the first nonbinary role in American broadcast and cable TV network history. Following that, Dillon, who prefers to go by “they,” challenged another barrier with the TV Academy going into this year’s Emmys – and saw it actually never was there.
“Actor is a non-gendered, non-sex word from the late 1500s that applied to anyone of any anatomical sex or gender identity,” Dillon explained to the guild-rich audience on seeking definition from the TV Academy about what category they could be entered for consideration. It turns out that anyone can enter into the category they choose. “So, given the two categories, actor and actress, actor is a non-gendered non-sexed word that I used, so that’s what I choose,” they revealed.
Check out more of my chat with the Billions creative and cast in the video above.
Renewed for a third season in March, Billions wrapped up its second season on May 7.
Must Read Stories
Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.