Elliot Page on coming out and empathy for his characters Vanya in Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy and My Days of Mercy – interview
- After rising to stardom in kooky indie Juno and the blockbuster X-Men series, he’s produced his own projects like Gaycation and There’s Something in the Water
- The LGBT icon came out as transgender on social media late last year
I reached a point where my desire to come out was so great that even if everyone in Hollywood had told me that I’d never work again it wouldn’t have made any difference
Hiding his sexuality was a burden
“Some people can make an adjustment and live by hiding their true selves. It was a toxic situation for me – the fear that comes with the hiding. You can’t hold hands with your female partner if you’re walking down the street. You can’t talk about your wife.
He defied industry pressure and discrimination to be himself
“I reached a point where my desire to come out was so great that even if everyone in Hollywood had told me that I’d never work again it wouldn’t have made any difference. I didn’t want to hide any more. But there still exists a lot of fear in my industry, and a lot of gay actors or gay people who work in the industry feel this pressure to hide their sexuality.
“I feel like I’ve been able to open up to the world. It’s night and day when I compare how I feel and the person I am today, to the person I was before. It’s affected the way I move, the energy I have, the way I spend my day … These are all changes in my life that have made me feel so much freer and happier.”
He has become actively involved in championing not only gay rights, but also women’s rights