Elliot Page has said he would have probably “faded away” if it was not for the transgender community who helped pave the way before him.
The 37-year-old actor, best-known for his Oscar-nominated role in 2007 coming-of-age drama Juno, came out as a transgender man in 2020.
Speaking to Them magazine, Page has said he feels being transgender has been a “life hack” as before his transition he felt “so miserable”.
View this post on InstagramAdvertisement
He told the outlet: “Community and trans people who have led the way in creating a world where I can actually exist — I wouldn’t be here without those things.
“I think I probably would’ve faded away.”
Page said that coming out as gay in 2014 was a “big major step” within his personal journey.
“Never would I have gotten the release and the space that would’ve let me get to where I really ultimately needed to be,” he added.
The actor revealed that his gender dysphoria got “so bad”, but he would try to focus on new roles.
“It almost became this thing that I knew and I just kept (thinking) that I’ll figure out a way to get around it,” he said.
“I think it was just actually too much — the concept of going through something like that publicly, and then being an actor.
“My brain was definitely doing what it could to get close, but then weave around.”
Page announced on social media in 2020 that his pronouns are “he/they” and his name was now Elliot.
“I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life,” he wrote in the post at the time.
The actor has since released his memoir, Pageboy, which delves into his own personal experiences and time in Hollywood.
He has also returned to the big screen with his new film Close To You which sees him play Sam, a man who is preparing to return home for a family reunion for the first time since his transition.
Reflecting on his life after coming out, he told Them: “Sometimes I’m like, ‘Oh my God, being trans is such a life hack, because before, I was so miserable.
“And now you’re like, ‘What? This is great. I don’t mind. This is kind of cool.’ Like, what?”
He continued: “It doesn’t mean I’m always going to make the best decisions, but I am able to move through the world in what feels like a more present, decisive (way).
“I know I’m not being pushed to do something else for someone else’s reason.”
Page has also starred in Netflix superhero series The Umbrella Academy, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Cillian Murphy in Christopher Nolan’s 2011 thriller Inception and in the X-Men series.
