Bilal Baig dishes on saying goodbye to ‘Sort Of,’ ice cream trauma, and their “twisted” plans for what’s next
Acha Bacha, but they burst onto the international scene with their Max dramedy Sort Of (a co-production between HBO and Canadian network CBC), which premiered in 2021 to great acclaim.The story of a directionless genderfluid millennial named Sabi who juggles multiples jobs while contending with their Pakistani immigrant parents, Sort Of isn’t exactly autobiographical for Baig, but the series has always drawn from their lived experiences, and put them in the spotlight as the first queer South Asian Muslim actor to lead a primetime series.Subscribe to our daily newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.After the second season was warmly received in 2022—and even honored with a prestigious Peabody Award in entertainment—Baig announced that Sort Of‘s third season would be its last. “We set out to tell a story about a kind of transition in Sabi’s life, and how those around them also change,” they wrote late last year, “and we feel in this coming season that story came to an end in a way that felt right for us.”Fittingly, these final episodes find Sabi trying to say goodbye to their father after his unexpected passing, dealing with grief, yes, but also finding freedom in a life without the constraints of his expectations and navigating a new path forward.As season three makes its debut on Max this week, it was the perfect time to check in with Baig and welcome them as the latest guest in our rapid-fire Q&A series, Dishin’ It.
In our conversation, Baig talks about the lessons they’ve learned from Sort Of, reflects on the episode they’re proudest of, and teases what might be next for them.
They also open up about the celebrity interview moment that changed their life, and share why they find it so hard to eat ice cream.Is there a piece of media—whether a movie, TV series, book, album, theater, video game, etc…—that has played an important role in your understanding of queerness?
