‘Billions’ Breakout Asia Kate Dillon Tapped as First Presenter at 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards

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MTV has announced that Asia Kate Dillon, the breakout star of the 2nd season of Showtime’s Billions, will present the first award at the 2017 MTV & TV Awards, Best Actor in a Movie.

For a quick reminder, here are the nominees in that category:

BEST ACTOR IN A MOVIE
Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out (Universal Pictures)
Emma Watson – Beauty and the Beast (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Hailee Steinfeld – The Edge of Seventeen (STX Entertainment)
Hugh Jackman – Logan (20th Century Fox)
James McAvoy – Split (Universal Pictures)
Taraji P. Henson – Hidden Figures (20th Century Fox)

This year, MTV removed all gender barriers from the show’s categories/nominees for both film and television and Dillon is the first gender non-binary identifying actor to be cast in a major television series. “I grew up with MTV.  It was the pop culture voice of my generation. MTV continues to be a voice for the culture it represents.  I am honored to open the show as a presenter as MTV makes strides once more by doing away with binary acting categories, celebrating television and film in a truly inclusive way,” said Dillon.

Asia Kate Dillon is a performer, writer and director based in New York City. Dillon is the first non-binary gender identifying actor ever to be cast in a major television series. In addition to Billions, they* can be seen in the Netflix series Orange is the New Black, Master of None and Younger.  Dillon also created, curated and directed US, an evening of storytelling followed by a talkback, which confronts racism in the United States and contributes to the Black Lives Matter movement. In 2016, they co-founded MIRROR/FIRE productions and currently serves as a Producing Director of the company.

Dillon recently appealed to the Television Academy regarding category placement for this year’s Emmy Awards, penning a thoughtful and impassioned letter challenging the gender dynamic of ‘actor’ and ‘actress’ for awards submission. After researching the word ‘actor’ and its origin in non-gender delineation from plays in the late 1500s, Dillon ultimately decided to enter as supporting actor. The Academy’s response was swift and supportive.

*Asia Kate Dillon uses the singular they/them/their pronoun for non-binary gender identification.

The 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards will serve as the ultimate celebration of the best stories, actors and characters for the MTV audience.  Breakout horror film, Get Out, leads the pack with six nominations, along with Beauty and the Beast and Stranger Things with four. While fan favorite categories like Best Kiss, Best Hero, Best Villain and more remain, MTV has broken the divide between film, television and streaming series, instead nominating the best performances no matter the screen. Also for the first time, the former Best Actor and Best Actress categories have been replaced with non-gendered Best Actor in a Movie and Best Actor in a Show. Best Fight has been modernized to Best Fight the System reflecting the audience’s increasing awareness and activism around broader social justice issues. Additional presenters, performers and additional categories will be revealed closer to the show.

Comedian, film & TV star (and nominee himself) Adam Devine will host the 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards LIVE from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Calif. on Sunday, May 7 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.