Early on in Our Flag Means Death, the acclaimed new comedy starring Taika Waititi, we meet a pirate who loses their fake beard – and reveals their true identity. In the new feel-good series, which aired on HBO Max last year and launches on BBC Two on Wednesday (4 January), Vico Ortiz plays a gender non-conforming character who’s credited as both Jim and Bonifacia.
When the show starts, Jim is presenting as a man so they can live their dream of being a pirate in the 17th century. That all changes when their fake beard and wax nose are foiled, but they go to lengths to make sure their fellow pirates still see them for exactly who they really are.
“They’re not trying to act like a man or act like a woman, they just are,” Vico explains.
So rare are authentic non-binary stories on television that it felt “historic” for Vico to explore that experience on screen, they tell PinkNews. When the series starts, it’s not entirely clear how Vico’s character identifies – but they were eager to make sure their portrayal of Jim accurate right from the start.