Elliot Page says he is able to “fully” embrace who he is after coming out as a transgender months ago.
The 34-year-old “Umbrella Academy” star told Time in his latest cover story that he anticipated “a lot of support and love and an enormous amount of hatred and transphobia” when he announced in December that he is transgender.
And “this is essentially what happened,” he told the magazine.
The actor detailed the difficulties he faced during his rise to fame as a child star before getting female roles in blockbuster hits like “Juno” and “Inception”. Playing these roles on camera was part of his job as an actor, but fighting his identity from an early age proved that it increased the pressure to be in the limelight.
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“I became a professional actor at the age of 10,” said Page. “Of course, I had to have a certain appearance.”
Elliot Page turned out to be transgender in December with a long statement on social media.
(Amanda Edwards / WireImage)
Page says he “felt like a boy” and “wanted to be a boy” during his childhood.
“I would ask my mom if it could ever be,” explained Page.
At 21, the actor said he acknowledged that the public’s perception of him did not correspond to who he really was.
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“I just never recognized myself,” Page told the outlet. “For a long time I couldn’t even look at a picture of me.”
Page recalls that he suffered from anxiety, depression and panic attacks. He struggled to know “how to explain to people that, although [I was] an actor, just putting on a shirt cut for a woman would make me really bad. “
Elliot Page and Emma Portner announced their divorce in January, after three years of marriage.
(Lev Radin / Pacific Press / LightRocket via Getty Images)
Page, who is currently filming “Umbrella Academy” in Toronto, declared himself gay in 2014. In 2018, the star married Emma Portner, although the two announced in early January that they are getting divorced.
He said that “the difference in how I felt before I assumed I was gay and then was huge”, but did not address his gender identity.
“But did the discomfort in my body ever go away? No, no, no, no,” he continued.
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Page revealed that he underwent a surgical procedure to remove breast tissue, also known as subcutaneous mastectomy.
Elliot Page says that having surgery to remove breast tissue ‘has completely transformed my life’.
(Rich Polk / Getty Images for IMDb)
“It completely transformed my life,” he added.
Page was recovering from surgery in Toronto when he announced to the world that he was transgender. In the previous months, the actor said he thought about it a lot.
“I had a lot of time alone to really focus on the things that I think I was unconsciously avoiding in many ways,” he said, noting that “shame and discomfort” led to his decision.
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“I was finally able to accept being transgender,” continued Page, “and allow myself to become totally who I am.”
In his long statement in December, Page said he felt “lucky” to appear. He also blamed politicians “who work to criminalize the health of trans people and deny our right to exist”.
“You unleash a vile, humiliating rage that falls on the shoulders of the trans community, a community in which 40% of trans adults report having attempted suicide. Enough. You are not being ‘canceled’, you are hurting people. I am one of those people and we will not remain silent in the face of your attacks, “said Page at the time.
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Now, the actor is dedicated to being more of a supporter of the trans community.
“Extremely influential people are spreading these myths and damaging rhetoric – every day you see our existence being debated,” Page said to the magazine. “Trans people are very real.”