Elliot Page: I am transgender, says Juno star

“I can’t begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self.”

With these courageous words, Elliot Page shared his truth with the world. On Tuesday, the Oscar nominated actor took to social media to announce to his fans that he is transgender, and that his new pronouns are “he” and “they”.

For Page, it was a joyous moment: “I love that I am trans. And I love that I am queer. And the more I hold myself close and fully embrace who I am, the more I dream, the more my heart grows and the more I thrive.”

Page, 33, is best-known worldwide as the star of the 2007 film Juno, a hit comedy about a teenager who decides to proceed with an unwanted pregnancy and find adoptive parents for her child.

More recently, however, the actor has reached a new audience as Vanya Hargreeves, one of the main characters in the Netflix superhero series The Umbrella Academy.

As the news spread on Tuesday, the streaming giant hurried to change Page’s credits on the films in their catalogue. However, Netflix also confirmed that Hargreeves, a cisgender lesbian, will not change gender in future episodes.

In recent years, cisgender actors have faced huge backlashes for playing trans characters. In 2018, actress Scarlett Johansson withdrew from an American gangster film after her casting as a trans man caused controversy amongst fans.

But most commentators agree that Page’s situation is different. First, he already plays Hargreeves. And second, the drive for trans actors to play trans characters exists because, traditionally, Hollywood has failed to cast any transgender actors at all.

This is a reality that casting directors around the world are striving to change. In London, Shakespeare’s Globe theatre debuted its first gender-blind, race-blind and disability-blind cast in a 2018 production of Hamlet. Even so, it is an undeniable truth that transgender actors still face discrimination – especially in Hollywood.

“As far as Hollywood being liberal, that’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard,” said director Adam McKay in 2016. “Look, who owns the studios? Viacom, Comcast, Disney. They want to make money.”

Indeed, a study by GLAAD found that transgender characters were absent from major studio releases for the third year in a row in 2019.

Page, who came out as gay in 2014, has faced homophobic bullying on film sets in the past. Early on in his career, industry insiders pressured him to wear dresses and high heels.

In his letter to his fans, Elliot Page admitted that he is afraid. “The truth is, I am scared. I’m scared of the invasiveness, the ‘jokes’ and the violence.”

Could this be a turning point for the film industry?

Pivotal moment

No, say some. One person cannot change an entire industry. Hollywood’s problems are not just at surface level – lasting, structural change is needed if the film industry is ever to achieve equal opportunity for all. It may have a liberal veneer, but in many ways, Hollywood is behind the times – it is only three years since the #MeToo movement exposed the rampant sexism within the industry.

Yes, say others. Elliot Page is a trailblazer for transgender rights in the film industry. His announcement has paved the way for other transgender actors to find success in what can be a brutal industry. And Hollywood may be ruled by business interests, but it has also shown that it is willing to change. Last year saw record representation of LGBTQ characters overall in films by major studios.