A Fil-Am actress is playing DC Films’ first trans character

Good news for representation all around, DC peeps: Batgirl has found her bestie, the first trans character in the DC Extended Universe. The plus? A Filipino-American actress is repping her on the big screen.

Deadline reports that Fil-Am trans actress Ivory Aquino has joined the cast of HBO Max’s upcoming 2022 feature film “Batgirl.” Aquino will take on the role of bartender Alysia Yeoh, the best friend-slash-one-time roommate of Barbara Gordon/Batgirl (played by Leslie Grace). 

Aquino’s casting rumors first broke last week, when Grace posted an Instagram Story of her and Aquino on set with the caption “Barbara and Alysia,” coupled with tags and bat emojis. 

Alysia first appeared in print back in November 2011 for “Batgirl” Vol. 4 Issue 1, but her movie debut marks the first major appearance of a trans character in a DC film. While the feature film’s plot is still being kept on the down-low, “Batgirl’s” OG story centers on Gotham City police commissioner Jim Gordon’s (J.K. Simmons) daughter Barbara, who soon takes the helm of the caped hero. 

If Ivory Aquino looks a li’l familiar, then you might have spotted her in series and films like “When They See Us” and “Lingua Franca.” While you’re at it, here are a couple of trans Filipino films to fill your watchlist pre-“Batgirl.”

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Ivory Aquino Photo by Pax Ahimsa Gethen courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; Alysia Yeoh photo from DC Comics