Mason Alexander Park of NBC's "Quantum Leap" on Non-Binary Representation in Entertainment (Video)

Mason talks about how as a "very strange kid" they delved into science and tech at an early age. They reveal that some of their early inspirations in entertainment included John Cameron Mitchell in Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Tim Curry in Rocky Horror Picture Show. And they take a deep dive into the increasing representation for members of the trans and non-binary communities in leading and supporting roles in entertainment, and how important it is that they get to play "real" people.

"Often non-binary characters and trans people are not seen in 'normal' jobs," Mason says. "I play a real individual, a real person who has a very important job that a lot of non-binary people and trans people work in. It's been really exciting to make contact with a bunch of people that otherwise hadn't been represented in that way on television before.

"It's so much more meaningful to represent marginalized people in the most normalized context because it's the Trojan horse," they continue. "It's the way to get people used to having these conversations in the day-to-day. Everybody meets trans and non-binary people all the time and half the time they don't even know it. It's amazing how integrated we are in society now but are still such a "strange," hot-button topic. To just let me breathe and exist and be present in the story is very radical and very cool. I look forward to what that does for future generations of non-binary characters."

New episodes of Quantum Leap are telecast Mondays at 10 p.m. on NBC.

Watch the full interview above or listen wherever you download your podcasts, includingApple, GooglePodcasts, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Stitcher and TuneIn.

The opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author and/or subject(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.com/MyersBizNet, Inc. management or associated writers.