Ian Alexander (actor) explained

Ian Alexander
Birth Place:Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Occupation:Actor
Years Active:2016–present

Ian Alexander (born) is an American actor, known for their roles as Buck Vu on The OA, Lev in The Last of Us Part II, and Gray Tal on .

Early and personal life

Alexander was born in Salt Lake City, Utah,[1] to an American father and a Vietnamese mother.[2] Due to their father's work with the Department of Defense, their family often moved and has lived in places such as Hawaii, Japan and Washington, D.C.[3] During elementary school, they participated in community theater and chorus. Though they were raised in a Mormon family, they are not a participating member,[4] and considers themself to be agnostic.[5] They came out as transgender in 2014 and through the course of their gender transition identified as trans masculine while using he/him pronouns exclusively.[6] [7] [8] [9], Alexander adopted the use of they/them,[10] shortly thereafter identifying as non-binary and preferring the use of they/them while accepting the alternative use of he/him.[11] [12] [13] [14]

They received viral attention online through their photo response to a transphobic incident perpetrated by four UCLA college students.[15]

Career

Alexander's debut acting role was on Netflix's The OA, where they played Buck Vu. Buck, like Alexander, is also a Vietnamese-American transgender youth and was partially based on Alexander's real experiences. They were cast from an open casting call online that spread through Tumblr.[16] [17] Later they were cast in the 2018 feature film Every Day, based on the book by David Levithan, playing Vic, a trans teen whom the spirit "A" inhabits for a day.[18] In October 2017, Naughty Dog announced Alexander had joined the cast for The Last of Us Part II, the sequel to their popular video game.[19] They played Lev, a transgender character in the game.[20]

In June 2019, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, sparking the start of the modern LGBTQ rights movement, Queerty named them one of their Pride50: "trailblazing individuals who actively ensure society remains moving towards equality, acceptance and dignity for all queer people".[21] Similarly, Alexander was one of the cover stars for the 2019 Pride issue of them., "spotlighting three rising queer artists whose work and lives are breaking new ground for LGBTQ+ visibility".[22] In March 2020, it was announced Alexander will star in the independent film Daughter.[23]

In September 2020, it was announced Alexander had joined the cast of ; they play the first transgender character played by a transgender actor in the Star Trek canon. Alexander voices Tai, one of Lunella's classmates, in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. Tai is revealed to be non-binary in the episode "Check Yourself", as Lunella refers to Tai using they/them pronouns.[24]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2016–2019The OABuck Vu and Michelle VuTV series; main cast
2017Déjà VuLanceShort film; co-writer[25]
2018Every DayVicFilm
2020The Last of Us Part IILevVideo game; featured voice and motion capture role
2020–2024Gray TalTV series; recurring role[26]
2022DaughterBrotherFilm
2023Moon Girl and Devil DinosaurTaiVoice; animated TV series

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Azzopardi . Chris . February 15, 2018 . 16-Year-Old Trans Actor Ian Alexander Is Bringing Queer Power to the Big Screen . October 31, 2018 . Into.
  2. Web site: Ramos . Dino-Ray . April 2, 2019 . The OAs Ian Alexander Is The Future Of Trans Visibility In Hollywood . April 2, 2019 . Deadline.
  3. Web site: December 21, 2016 . Q & A with The OAs Ian Alexander . October 31, 2018 . Angry Asian Man.
  4. Web site: Alexander . Ian . January 27, 2017 . I'm Ian Alexander/Buck! AMA : TheOA . October 31, 2018 . Reddit.
  5. Web site: Selected by Ian Alexander . . Ryan . Cahill . April 15, 2019 . February 17, 2022.
  6. News: Weik . Taylor . February 2, 2017 . Meet The OA actor who wants to help pave the way for trans representation . NBC News . October 31, 2018.
  7. Alexander . Ian . Harron Walker . The OA's Ian Alexander on His Big Acting Debut and Trans Representation . February 27, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161223060245/https://www.vulture.com/2016/12/the-oa-netflix-ian-alexander-buck.html . December 23, 2016 . . December 22, 2016.
  8. Web site: Alexander . Ian . February 20, 2018 . Everything In My Life Changed When A Hit TV Show Cast Me As A Transgender Teen . https://web.archive.org/web/20190612213816/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ian-alexander-transgender-actors_n_5a7dfae3e4b08dfc930400ce . June 12, 2019 . February 27, 2022 . .
  9. Web site: March 22, 2019 . The OA Part II Ian Alexander on Becoming Buck Vu . February 27, 2022 . . YouTube.
  10. Web site: Ramos . Dino-Ray . September 2, 2020 . 'Star Trek: Discovery' Introduces First-Ever Non-Binary And Trans Characters With Blu Del Barrio And Ian Alexander . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200903000142/https://deadline.com/2020/09/star-trek-discovery-non-binary-transgender-characters-blu-del-barrio-ian-alexander-lgbtq-diversity-inclusion-representation-1234568890/ . September 3, 2020 . February 27, 2022 . .
  11. Alexander . Ian . Jessie Earl . Star Trek Discovery Interview with Gray, Ian Alexander Transgender Rep & More . February 27, 2022 . Jessie Gender . December 7, 2020 . YouTube.
  12. Web site: Patton . Elaina . June 1, 2021 . Actor Ian Alexander blazes a cosmic trail as 1st transgender 'Star Trek' character . https://web.archive.org/web/20210602123256/https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/actor-ian-alexander-blazes-cosmic-trail-1st-trans-star-trek-n1269127 . June 2, 2021 . February 27, 2022 . NBC News.
  13. Alexander . Ian . Johnny Sibilly . Logo Live interview with Star Trek Discovery's Ian Alexander Logo . February 27, 2022 . . June 2, 2021 . YouTube.
  14. Web site: Ennis . Dawn . February 7, 2022 . Star Trek's Blu del Barrio & Ian Alexander Transgalactic Heroes . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220207140421/https://www.out.com/print/2022/2/07/star-treks-blu-del-barrio-ian-alexander-transgalactic-heroes . February 7, 2022 . February 27, 2022 . Out.
  15. News: Karlan . Sarah . May 19, 2016 . People Can't Handle This Trans Teen's Response To This Viral Anti-Trans Photo . . January 25, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160602132658/https://www.buzzfeed.com/skarlan/trans-teen-response-viral . June 2, 2016.
  16. Web site: August 25, 2015 . Casting Call: Netflix series seeks Asian Transgender Teen . October 31, 2018 . Angry Asian Man.
  17. News: Houlihan . Ryan . December 28, 2016 . How Netflix's Newest Teen Actor Landed His Job on Tumblr . . October 31, 2018.
  18. News: Dresden . Hilton . February 15, 2018 . Watch This Exclusive Clip From Every Day Featuring Trans Actor Ian Alexander . . October 31, 2018.
  19. Naughty_Dog . 925057785645056000 . October 30, 2017 . Ian Alexander is Lev. #TheLastofUsPartII . Naughty Dog . Naughty Dog . October 31, 2018.
  20. Web site: Rosenblatt . Kalhan . July 8, 2020 . The Last of Us Part II brings queer stories to a pandemic-ravaged dystopia . July 21, 2020 . NBC News.
  21. Web site: The OAs Ian Alexander is making it safer for trans teens to come out & parents to accept them . Reddish . David . May 24, 2019 . . June 8, 2019 .
  22. News: Welcome to Our Pride Issue, Featuring Ian Alexander, King Princess, and Chika . . June 21, 2019 . June 21, 2019.
  23. Web site: Ramos . Dino-Ray . March 10, 2020 . Casper Van Dien, Ian Alexander, Vivien Ngô, Elyse Dinh And Megan Le Join Corey Deshon's Thriller Daughter . February 17, 2022 . Deadline.
  24. Web site: Acuna. Kirsten. 'The Last of Us Part II' actor Ian Alexander 'would love' to reprise their game role of Lev on season 2 of HBO's show. Insider. February 7, 2023. February 27, 2023. https://archive.today/20230228010413/https://www.insider.com/the-last-of-us-ian-alexander-lev-season-two-interview-2023-2. February 28, 2023. live.
  25. Web site: Déjà Vu (2017) . . February 17, 2022 . February 17, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220217125235/https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-jrc7f2/dj-vu/ . dead .
  26. Web site: Vary . Adam B. . September 2, 2020 . Star Trek: Discovery Makes Franchise History With First Trans, Non-Binary Characters . . September 6, 2020.

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