In a cover story published in Time on Tuesday, actor Elliot Page speaks openly for the first time since announcing his transition by Instagram last December.
In the interview, Page admits that he recognized his gender identity from a young age although had been unable to fully articulate it, especially as his acting career took off and he was required to meet a feminine ideal in order to land roles. He credits his coming out to the forced isolation of quarantine, which gave him “a lot of time on my own to really focus on things that I think, in so many ways, unconsciously, I was avoiding.”
“I was finally able to embrace being transgender,” he says, “and letting myself fully become who I am.”
The star of “Juno,” “Inception,” and the Netflix hit “The Umbrella Academy” also opens up about his battles with depression and anxiety as a result of having to conform to a feminine standard, and his decision to nearly quit acting before coming out as gay in 2014. Although coming out helped him assert more agency in his career, he says that the “discomfort” he felt in his body did not go away.
Page has long been a vocal supporter of the LGBTQ+, producing films that star LGBTQ+ leads and speaking out against anti-trans legislation that has cropped up in state houses across the country. He plans on using his celebrity to further trans visibility. “My privilege has allowed me to have resources to get through and to be where I am today,” he tells Time, “and of course I want to use that privilege and platform to help in the ways I can.”
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