At only 21, Ian Alexander has been breaking ground on TV for years now. Alexander, who used to identify as a trans man but now identifies as transmasculine and uses they/he pronouns, appeared on "The OA" as Buck, and they also play Gray in the third season of Paramount+'s "Star Trek: Discovery."
Being on "Star Trek: Discovery" was nerve-racking at first for the actor, but eventually they realized the best way they could represent their community was by "just existing and being myself," they told USA Today in 2020.
This includes accepting that their definition of themselves is constantly changing. "Masculinity is something that is ever-evolving in my understanding and expression of it," he told Dazed in 2019. "Masculinity isn't defined by a specific look or presentation. In my experience, it's more of a feeling than anything that can be defined by words . . . There's a feeling of dysphoria and discomfort when wrong pronouns are used and a feeling of joy and validation when my correct pronouns are used."
The Salt Lake City-born actor, who identifies as nonbinary and pansexual, is all about pride. "My biggest piece of advice would be, don't be afraid of what other people think, because at the end of the day, you're the one that is in your body, and you're the one who has control over it," they added. "What other people think shouldn't hold you back from expressing yourself and being happy. Maybe that means wearing makeup, maybe it means not wearing makeup, it's up to you. It's your gender, you can do whatever you want with it."
Alexander, who is set to star in Corey Deshon's thriller "Daughter" in 2022, has big ideas for the future of Hollywood. "I really want Hollywood to transform into such a safe space for trans people and for everyone," they told Out Magazine in February 2022. "I want every minority group to feel represented, and so I want to see more and more trans people behind the camera, in the writers' room, in the production office."
