Everything You Need To Know About Elliot Page

We love Juno, but we love living truthfully even more.

by KATHERINE BRODSKY ★ APRIL 11, 2021

Elliot Page has spent his whole life in the spotlight, surrounded by people telling him what to do and when to do it. Little did they know, he has spent most of that time fantasizing about being somebody else, living with a constant, overwhelming sense that he was in the wrong skin. Afraid to come out of his own shell, he lived a life pleasing others with his uneasy, unfitting identity... until he just couldn’t take it anymore.

You probably know Elliot Page from his abundance of iconic roles in major films, including starring in Juno, his role in Inception, or most recently, his part in The Umbrella Academy. That being said, the majority of his acting roles were female as he was cast prior to his coming out and living as his authentic self. In a Time article published in mid-March, Page speaks on his experience as a closeted trans man in the Hollywood industry, saying he was always told to look a certain way and act a certain way, even when it made him uncomfortable.

Being an actor in Hollywood is incredibly difficult even when you’re not closeted. Always being told what to wear, what to say, and who to be can be toxic and take a permanent toll on your mental health. For Page, it was extreme. 

“I just never recognized myself. For a long time, I could not even look at a photo of myself,” he said. 

While attending his own movie premiers, his dysphoria made them difficult to watch, and even worse, he was suffering in silence.

In 2014, he came out as gay, and just that took a huge weight off his shoulders. Of course, there was still something weighing him down. Although he received support from his community and felt relief, he said the discomfort in his body did not go away.

After years in Hollywood struggling to be true to himself, what prompted Page to finally come out and say ‘enough’ to the Hollywood stigma?

During the isolation period of the pandemic, Page finally had the time to think clearly about who he wanted to be and how he wanted to present himself to the world. Isolation gave him time to consider what he had been avoiding, which led to him coming to terms with the fact that he is transgender.

Not only is Page a proud trans man, but he has also made the brave decision to get top surgery, alleviating him of one of the main causes of his gender dysphoria. He spoke about how much energy was wasted on being uncomfortable in his own skin and how the surgery has helped him to gain some of that energy back.

As Page moves through his new life and all the adjustments that come with it, he feels like he can finally breathe by being who he knows he is meant to be.

Congratulations to you, Elliot. Enjoy your new journey.

Cover photo credit: People.com