Academy Award-nominated actor Elliot Page has become the first transgender man to feature on the Time magazine cover.
In his first interview since he announced that he is transgender last December, Page opened up about what prompted him to reveal the news about his identity and how he felt before and after the announcement.
Explaining what he felt before sharing the news, Page exclaimed, “This feeling of true excitement and deep gratitude to have made it to this point in my life.”
“Mixed with a lot of fear and anxiety,” he adds.
The ‘Inception’ actor had expected the news to be received in both positive and negative light, however, what he did not expect was the announcement to get so much public eye.
“What I was anticipating was a lot of support and love and a massive amount of hatred and transphobia,” he told Time. “That’s essentially what happened.”
Being in isolation owing to the ongoing pandemic, Page was forced to confront the issues he’d been on his mind.
“I had a lot of time on my own to really focus on things that I think, in so many ways, unconsciously, I was avoiding,” Page said.
According to the reports, trans stars like Janet Mock and Laverne Cox inspired Page and reading the work of trans writers helped him come to grips with his feelings better.
After “shame and discomfort,” Page, who recently split from his wife Emma Portner, recalls to Time, “I was finally able to embrace being transgender and letting myself fully become who I am.”
And now he in turn feels a responsibility to speak out and stand for the trans community.
In the cover story, Page’s close friend and fellow actor Alia Shawkat opened up about the discomfort he felt earlier in Hollywood after becoming famous for his acclaimed, Oscar-nominated role in Juno.
“He had a really hard time with the press and expectations,” Shawkat told Time. “‘Put this on! And look this way! And this is sexy!'”
However, during that period, Page said, “I just never recognized myself. For a long time, I could not even look at a photo of myself.”
But since he has come out as trans, Page’s manager has been contacted by casting directors who said it would be an honour to cast him and his team is receiving offers to direct, produce and act in trans-related projects.
Opening up about his identity has helped the actor, said the ‘The Umbrella Academy’ showrunner Steve Blackman.
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“It seems like there’s a tremendous weight off his shoulders, a feeling of comfort,” he told Time.
“There’s a lightness, a lot more smiling.”
Now, Page is excited about the upcoming projects and looking forward to his future.
“I’m really excited to act, now that I’m fully who I am, in this body,” Page said.
“No matter the challenges and difficult moments of this, nothing amounts to getting to feel how I feel now.”
