Mr. World [in American Gods] has been played by Crispin Glover for the first two seasons. While Glover will still play the leader of the New Gods in the third season, Mr. World not only will also be portrayed by Danny Trejo. But, has transformed into Ms. World – played by Dominique Jackson. Jackson, who is well-known for her role on Pose; made quite the impression in season three’s premiere when she literally took a baseball bat to an insubordinate lackey.
Minor Spoilers For Season Three
In a recent interview with The Advocate, Jackson talked about being offered the role of Ms. World (without having to audition for it):
“I was just totally blown away and fascinated by it. For me, as a Black trans woman who has struggled, who has gone through so much. For someone to just say to me, you know, ‘Here, we’re going to give you something,’ I was like, Wait a second. Is this real? Is it happening?”
Jackson then went on to compare the genderfluid nature of Word in American Gods and her own transgenderism:
“I realized that it was a major character. Mr. World becomes Ms. World, and at a time now that we’re … realizing that we need to be more inclusive of people. If our gods can transform, why can he not transform into a woman? And it was just also really major that not only was he transforming into a woman, but he was transforming into a woman who embodies all of what gender is. Because society told me that I had to represent as male for some time.
And then I had to reclaim and validate … and force the world to recognize my femininity. So Mr. World becoming Ms. World, and Ms. World being [played by] myself is very profound. It was something that I was just like, OK, this is just the stars aligning right now, so I’m just going to go with it.”
Jackson also spoke about the X-Men and how playing a non-human character feels relatable to her:
“Actually, no, it was not a challenge for me to take on the feeling of an extraterrestrial or almighty or powerful being, because it’s what I envisioned as a child. Growing up and being trans and being a part of this community, we always look to characters like the X-Men to build larger-than-life characters. And this is what we use — well, I can speak for myself —when I wanted to feel safe and feel like I belong and be like, I was a part of something. I didn’t envision playing a mom on television … I wanted to play superheroes. I wanted to play people that people would look up to and respect. Because in my own life, I didn’t have that respect.”
For the full interview, go to the Advocate. What do you think about Jackson’s portrayal of Ms. World and the inclusion of different versions of World in American Gods?
Source: Advocate
A girl with too many fandoms to count.
