Asia Kate Dillon Discusses Lead Role and Intimate Scene in Acclaimed LGBTQ+ Film 'Outerlands'

Nonbinary actor and producer Asia Kate Dillon, known for their groundbreaking role as Taylor Mason in Showtime's Billions, recently opened up about starring as Cass in the critically acclaimed indie film Outerlands. Directed by Elena Oxman, Outerlands follows Cass, a nonbinary gig worker navigating survival in a gentrifying San Francisco, where bartending, drug deals, and scooter rides intersect with fading city landmarks. When a new romantic interest entrusts Cass with her daughter Ari before mysteriously disappearing, Cass steps into an unexpected caregiving role, confronting personal wounds, erasure, and the search for chosen family.

In a January 25, 2026, interview with Queerty, Dillon described Outerlands as their most challenging role, emphasizing the emotional depth required to portray Cass's quiet detachment and healing journey. Dillon, who uses they/them pronouns, noted parallels between their own gig economy experiences—including restaurant work, babysitting, and past drug sales—and Cass's life, stating, “I was a gig worker and frankly, I still am. Acting is gig work.” The actor highlighted a pivotal intimate scene as cinema's "hottest," involving a drunken hookup with coworker Kalli, played by Louisa Krause, which deepened Cass's vulnerability.

Outerlands premiered in the Narrative Feature Competition at SXSW earlier in 2025, earning nominations for Best Narrative Feature, and has since screened at over 50 festivals across five continents. It won the Queer Media Society Award for Best Queer Feature at the Munich International Film Festival, the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at Wicked Queer in Boston, and prizes at Torino Lovers, Milwaukee, Santa Cruz, and Atlanta’s Out on Film festivals. Variety described it as “a slow-burn nonbinary drama set in a changing San Francisco” with “great cinematic sleight of hand.” The film served as the closing-night feature at the 2025 SFFILM Festival on April 27, followed by a Q&A with Dillon, Oxman, and producer Marc Smolowitz.

Dillon emphasized the film's universal themes over spectacle, saying Cass's story centers on human experiences like pain, loss, connection, addiction, queer sex, and love, rather than making nonbinary identity the sole focus. “Cass’ experiences—pain, loss, searching for connection—are universal,” Dillon stated, adding that the character, in their mid-30s, represents ongoing coming-of-age beyond traditional narratives. Oxman, who uses she/they pronouns and developed the film through SFFILM’s Artist Development program, echoed this, noting, “Outerlands centers on a character who happens to be trans and non-binary—but their story is, at its core, a human one.”

The cast includes Ridley Asha Bateman as Ari, Lea DeLaria in a supporting role, and Daniel K. Isaac. Dillon credited the set's sense of safety for enabling vulnerability, fostering camaraderie that enhanced the film's emotional honesty. San Francisco emerges as a key character, reflecting tensions for queer and marginalized communities amid gentrification.

Distributed by Wolfe Video, the world's longest-running and largest distributor of LGBTQ+ films, Outerlands had a digital release on November 26, 2025, and is available on Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. A special screening and Q&A with Oxman and Dillon occurred at Smith College on December 5, 2025, in Northampton, Massachusetts, presented by the Smith Office for the Arts in partnership with the Film and Media Studies Department and The Resource Center for Sexuality & Gender.

Dillon, also a community care leader at The Debt Gala and ambassador for Drama Club NYC—which supports incarcerated and court-involved youth through improv—views Outerlands as advancing nonbinary visibility, though challenges like gendered awards categories persist. “Now there are more nonbinary characters, more visibility. But we’re still rarely the protagonists,” Dillon said. The film thus contributes to broader storytelling where transgender and nonbinary narratives integrate systemically.