Looking into the use of accidental negative stereotypes and the positives of actors choosing their own identity
The Adjudicator (portrayed by Asia Kate Dillon, left) is an interesting character with a lot of mystery, including their gender identity [Copyright: Lionsgate]
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John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is a continuation of the story from the first two films in the franchise. It follows titular John Wick (Keanu Reeves) going on the run from other assassins, after a bounty is placed on his head for the murder of a High Table crime lord. Wick and his allies are pursued by The Adjudicator, a bureaucratic but ruthless judge who works for the High Table, and who hires people to assassinate Wick. The film takes Wick across the globe, avoiding and killing adversaries, and enlisting help from old and new allies, as he decides what his fate should be.
Nothing in the film indicates that The Adjudicator is non-binary. It could be argued their short hair shows a deviation from gender conventions, but then the same could be argued about John Wick’s shoulder-length hair, and I am yet to see any speculation he must be non-binary too. According to Asia Kate Dillon, in an interview with The New York Times: “All pronouns were taken out of the script to add a little more mystery”. The only direct proof occurs in the DVD featurettes, Legacy of the High Table and Excommunicado, in which The Adjudicator is shown to have singular they/them pronouns. This means that most of the audience will unconsciously assume The Adjudicator identifies as a woman, due to Dillon’s assigned sex, and (as Dillon calls it) the “high femme” costume design, signified by a vintage jacket, gold earrings, and painted fingernails. Unless you know about the character or Dillon prior to watching the film itself, there is nothing to indicate otherwise.
Aside from a lack of direct gender confirmation, the portrayal of the character also has some negative stereotypes. It could be argued that the representation borders on the “non-binary, non-human” trope, whereby characters that are not humans often identify as Enby to show they are different. This perpetuates the idea that non-binary people in real life are less than human too. The Adjudicator, although being human, feels almost robotic throughout the film. They have a cold and emotionless expression, a calculating and efficient though process, and a ruthless determination for their job, almost like a bureaucratic Terminator. In terms of the film, this makes The Adjudicator an interesting, terrifying, and unique villain. They act as the anthesis to the emotionally driven, “kill first, questions later” character of John Wick, to the extent that Wick uses an arsenal of weapons whilst The Adjudicator does not touch a single one showing their different perspectives on crime. However, in terms of representations, this contrast detracts from the perceived humanity of The Adjudicator, creating an animosity from the audience that may be reflected onto non-binary identities as a whole.
This raises the question: if the character is not explicitly shown to be non-binary, if their identity has no bearing on the plot, and if it creates negative implications for this character to be non-binary, why has this choice been made? Fortunately, this is not just simply “queerbaiting”. In fact, the lack of explicit confirmation may be more of a benefit.
Asia Kate Dillon is non-binary themselves. They have portrayed non-binary characters, notably Taylor Mason in Billions since 2017, who was the first non-binary character in mainstream North American television. However, they have also played characters that do not match their gender identity (such as Brandy Epps from Orange is the New Black, a white supremist inmate). Of course, in some instances, a non-binary identity would not fit the personality of a character, however, there is also a lack of characters specifically written to be non-binary for non-binary actors, due to it not being that mainstream in Western society. John Wick: Chapter 3 is not an exception.
The Adjudicator was not originally written to be non-binary. Although, after Asia Kate Dillon was cast, they suggested the character could be made non-binary as it would have no effect on the plot, fit their own identity, and increase diversity. In the interview with The New York Times, Dillon states they spoke to director Chad Stahelski and said, “We have a real opportunity here, I’m a nonbinary actor, there’s no reason that this character has to be a non-trans person, let’s make them nonbinary”. This resulted in the pronouns (which had previously been written as both he and she) being omitted, and the costume reflecting both Dillon’s identity and The Adjudicator’s sophisticated professionality. However, the character stayed the same as it was originally ambiguously written. Being non-binary does not mean your identity has to be your main personality trait. To state the obvious, non-binary people are still people and, like cisgender people, have hobbies, interests, and jobs unrelated to gender. This could include being an efficient and ruthless judge and investigator for a criminal council. That is what The Adjudicator excels at, that is what is key to the plot, and thus that is the focus of their character in the film. Although explicitly mentioning the character is non-binary would result in more audience members knowing The Adjudicator’s gender and pronouns, and maybe result in audience members learning about the identity through their own research, the film is not about LGBTQ+ people, and a scene like that would alter the pacing and runtime of the film.
Overall, the film itself does faulter in representing non-binary characters, due to its implicit nature and robotic characterisations that make the character appear to be inhuman. However, the fact that this shows that the industry is allowing non-binary actors to be represented through the characters they portray, rather than forcing a binary gender without reason, is an excellent step. Furthermore, there is no pressure to alter scripts to make their gender overt in the plot, nor make their gender a marketing ploy for queerbaiting. Studios, directors, and writers should not cater to having non-binary characters in meticulous roles, and avoid presenting them as villainous, in fear of negative representation, as then non-binary actors will be limited to specific bland characters. In some respect, the film represents reality in a positive way. Gender does not matter in the way people should be treated and should not be the forefront of the audience’s judgement to a character. What matters is The Adjudicator wants the main character dead, and that is the key to their personality and portrayal.
Rating
Avoiding Stereotypes - 0 stars
Avoiding Tokenism - 1 star
Avoiding Queerbaiting - 0 stars
Too Idealistic or Too Cynical - 1 star
External Effects - 1 star
Overall: 3 stars
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