Following the BFI Flare screening of Elena Oxman’s debut, we spoke to the star at the heart of this touching story
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY CAROLINE KING PHOTOGRAPHY
In a rapidly gentrifying San Francisco, Cass is just trying to get by. Waiting tables, selling drugs, nannying – pretty much any gig they can get their hands on. But after a passionate one-night stand, an unexpected childcare gig forces them to confront their past in a way that they’ve continually repressed. This is the premise behind Elena Oxman’s powerful debut Outerlands, featuring Orange Is The New Black co-stars Asia Kate Dillon and Lea DeLaria.
Starring as Cass in this beautifully tragic and hopeful film, Asia Kate Dillon grins when I tell them just how much the film moved me. In fact, it was the nuanced blend of light and darkness within the script itself which drew Asia to the project. “The beautiful healing journey that this character goes on was something that was sort of parallel to synchronistic things that were happening in my life at the time,” they tell me ahead of the film’s screening at the BFI Flare 2025. “It felt very grounded and real.”
Throughout their career, Asia has been bringing non-binary representation to our screens. Their role as Taylor in the show Billions marked the first time we saw a non-binary character be played by a non-binary actor in a mainstream show. They’ve gone on to star in beloved LGBTQIA series like Orange Is The New Black and huge blockbusters like the John Wick franchise.
While Outerlands is certainly a film about surviving as a non-binary person in modern America, Asia is quick to note that this is not “the focal point of the story”. They tell me: “You get all of this nuance throughout the entire film because it’s just imbued in who Cass is. They are just deeply longing for belonging and connection.”
One of the themes the film artfully tracks is the loss of queer spaces in our urban areas. Cass can be seen reminiscing over a bar which helped them feel seen. Asia laughs when I ask whether there has been a queer space which has helped them feel seen. They start telling me about their time spent in Williamsburg’s bar Metropolitan, the first place they saw the beautiful diversity within queerness. “Sometimes you have to see an example of the thing that you want to be exist in the world,” they explain when discussing why keeping these spaces alive is so important.
Outerlands is packed full of gut-wrenchingly powerful performances, and fans will be quick to spot another OITNB alum as Asia’s on screen partner: the iconic Lea DeLaria. Playing the role of kind-hearted lesbian banker Denise, Lea DeLaria’s character is one of the few people looking out for Cass in the turbulent city. When starting the film with Oxman, Asia reveals that Lea was the only person they wanted to play the role. “It is written as a queer elder and we wanted someone in the film who held real gravitas in the queer community,” Asia explains. “I knew that I needed someone to play Denise who I could really let go with and who made me feel safe and comfortable.”
For Asia, it’s vital that we show why having LGBTQIA elders is important. “Healing doesn’t happen in isolation. We need a community. Younger queer people who don’t have that visual representation are left wondering: where do we go? Am I going to live past the age of 30?”
The film delves into a number of themes which will resonate with queer audiences: loneliness, chosen family, and, notably, addiction. While Cass’ alcohol addiction is touched on in the film, there is a level of nuance which very few depictions have managed to grasp. “[Depictions of addiction] often veer into sort of trauma porn or they are written from a perspective that you can clearly tell is an outside perspective looking in that feels very judgmental,” Asia tells me when discussing how they chose to portray Cass’ character. “Addiction is a very nuanced thing. It affects every single person differently. I don’t think there’s anything in the film that hits you over the head. There’s a lot left for the audience to fill in for themselves.”
Since their role in Billions, Asia has revelled in seeing the growth of non-binary representation on screen. While there is certainly a lot of queer joy to be had from its screening at an event like BFI Flare – a reminder that our stories are not going anywhere – it feels impossible to ignore the political backdrop that is threatening trans and non-binary lives. What does Asia hope people take from this film?
“We get a hundred minutes with Cass. I think for people who have never met a trans or non-binary person, they’re going to get to know Cass over the course of a hundred minutes,” they say. “I don’t know what that will do to whoever sees the film, but I know that afterwards, they won’t be able to say they don’t know a trans or non-binary person. That’s hopeful for me.”
You can find out more about BFI Flare 2025 here: whatson.bfi.org.uk/flare
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