On December 1, 2020, Ellen Page, the renowned actress, vanished from all social media platforms. In her place, posts began to emerge from a man named Elliot. Consequently, Netflix modified the credits of their films and series to reflect this change. Twitter shared, “We are incredibly proud of our superhero! Sending our love your way!” This moment marked a significant turning point, not just for the star, but also for millions of individuals confronting discrimination daily.
Living in Ellen’s body
Gender transition is a difficult period for everyone who dares to go through it. However, in the case of Elliot Page it was even harder because his psychological transformation took place in front of the public.
The actor achieved worldwide popularity, being in the body of a woman. And therefore his case has become nonsense. After all, the world, holding its breath, watched how he would manage to start a new life without losing his career.
Ellen started acting when she was just 10 years old. Her first role was that of Maggie MacLean in Pit Pony. The debut was an immediate success, she received a nomination for the Young Artist Award, and one by one, job opportunities started pouring in. By the age of 18, Page had over a dozen roles in various films and TV series under her belt.
One of the highlights of the actor’s filmography is his starring role in Juno. Critics said that Ellen was “frighteningly talented”, and the film itself was considered one of the best from the aughts. Just imagine, Ellen became the fourth youngest Academy Award Best Actress nominee at the time, at only 20 years old.
A new beginning.
Despite such seemingly phenomenal success, Page was not fully happy. She had felt that she was ’different’ for years. Ever since she was a little girl, Ellen felt that she should have been a boy. She would sign her name as Jason, and ask her mother if she could grow up to be a man. Years later, that question, like the unacceptance of her own gender, had not gone away.
A couple of days before her 27th birthday, Page broke the silence. First, she declared that she was attracted to women, and then, that she had met her perfect match. This was the dancer and choreographer Emma Portner, whom Paige married in 2018. The couple’s story is an unusual one: Portner got married to a woman but divorced a man. They separated in 2020, with the divorce being finalized in early 2021.
Living as Elliot
On Dec. 1, 2020, Page introduced himself as a man on his social media accounts. He asked to henceforth be referred to as he and they, and revealed his new name: Elliot. His bold decision was supported by many celebrities, and Page has been hailed as an inspiration to countless transgender and non-binary people. The star’s wife also publicly admired her spouse: “Trans, queer and non-binary people are a gift to this world.”
Also, Elliott Page became the first transgender man to appear on the cover of Time magazine. For this photoshoot, he asked for a photographer who would understand him and be able to accurately capture his essence — a transgender man like himself. In an interview with Time, the actor spoke candidly about his change, including the gender reassignment surgery, which, he said, not only changed his life but saved it, as he was finally able to become the man he had truly been all his life.
“I’m really excited to act, now that I’m fully who I am, in this body. No matter the challenges and difficult moments of this, nothing amounts to getting to feel how I feel now,” reflects Elliot, who is finally able to live in harmony with himself and his appearance. His life is now filled with joyful moments that weren’t there before. Simple, daily things now bring him joy, like coming out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist. He can look in the mirror and say, “There I am.”
The surgery did not only affect the star’s external appearance but also his creativity. Paige says that ever since he came out to his loved ones, a wave of inspiration has washed over him. He has written a film script, started making music, and is now working on a memoir, which should encourage and help millions of people to believe in themselves.
However, when it comes to working on set, Elliot hasn’t noticed much change. Only that he feels incredibly comfortable in a man’s body.
Why Page talks about it so much
Elliot is said to have inspired many transgender people to accept themselves, but the actor thinks just the opposite. The support he received after coming out was so strong, that Page is now an activist in fighting for these people’s rights. The star plans to use his popularity to raise public awareness of important issues: “My privilege has allowed me to have resources to get through and to be where I am today and, of course, I want to use that privilege and platform to help in the ways I can.”
In an interview, Elliot was asked what he would say to himself as a child if he could go back in time. The actor, after getting a little pensive, replied: “I would tell myself I was exactly who I saw myself as, and felt myself as, and knew myself as.”
Not long ago, Elliot released a book where he honestly told his entire journey — from Ellen to himself. Unlike most stars, whose memoirs are written by other people, all the words in this book are written by the actor himself. He calls his life a great struggle for his own happiness: “Before coming out as queer in 2014, I’d made the decision that living my life was more important than being in movies.”
Happiness is different for each person. There is no one rule for living right. Some, like Elliot, take time to dare to be themselves. Others find happiness in love, children or no children. And the world would be perfect if all people learned to respect each other’s choices.