An interview with actor Elliot Page has gone viral after viewers noted that he spoke soberly and looked glum while explaining how overjoyed he is following his transition from female to male.
The Hollywood star – who transitioned 13 years after shooting to global stardom in the hit movie Juno – said ‘I understood my truth’ as he stood outside the U.S. Supreme Court on December 4 along with other activists to appeal Tennessee’s law banning gender-affirming care for minors.
Many online users quickly noted that the somber actor spoke in a dull manner and appeared to look sad, leading them to speculate Page’s happiness following the life-changing decision.
Meanwhile, others appreciated what he had to say – and weren’t affected by the actor’s demeanor, as he appears to speak in that tone normally.
In the clip, the Canadian actor, 37, shared what he would tell his younger self after transitioning in 2020.
‘You know who you are, you know, and please embrace that,’ Page said stoically, breaking up his words with some light laughter.
‘I feel, for me, it was – I understood my truth. I felt it very strongly. And it was all of these external forces and noises that pushed and pulled, and me sort of loose track of who I was.
‘And so, I guess to my younger self I’d say that discomfort and that pain that you’re feeling – that is not yours. That is theirs,’ he said, adding that continuing on the journey of ’embracing who you really are’ will ‘lead you to happiness.’
Many online users noticed how actor Elliot Page appeared to sound and looked somber as he spoke about his transition outside of the U.S. Supreme Court
The Hollywood star, 37, transitioned 13 years after shooting to global stardom in the hit movie Juno. (Pictured: Page in Los Angeles at the Academy Awards in February 2008)
Conservative account Libs of TikTok took to X and shared the clip of Page, writing: ‘This is the picture of pure happiness and joy because she’s finally living as her true self. Doesn’t she look happy?’
Others went on to agree, as one user said: ‘If one mutes the sound, and just looks at the face, she looks like a person reporting a tragic incident.’
‘If you have to constantly affirm how happy you are, you are not happy,’ another wrote.
‘She said so much while saying nonsense,’ another said, as others shared photo comparisons of the actor prior to his transition, smiling as Ellen, next to a current image of him as Elliot.
Despite many thinking that Page was gloomy in the video, others took to American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) social media pages and applauded him for sharing his story, not noting the way he spoke or looked.
While many blasted the Canadian actor for his demeanor in the clip, others applauded him for his supportive words for the trans community
‘Keep going, keep going, keep going, you fill wind your place and your people. I love you,’ a supporter wrote.
Another said: ‘This is entirely true and I love him,’ while someone else added: ‘What a peaceful, loving response. Such a king and role model.’
In August, Page said he was ‘so miserable’ before transitioning during an interview with 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 explained.
The Oscar-nominated actor highlighted his newfound happiness by sharing how thrilling it was to recently watch Cardi B in concert and fully embrace the experience as his true self.
‘I’m this 37-year-old dude in a stadium, jumping up and down and screaming, and it felt so nice to be like, “Here I am,”‘ Page said.
He also expressed deep gratitude for queer communities that created spaces for people who, like him, are navigating similar struggles.
‘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,’ he claimed.
‘I think I probably would’ve faded away,’ Page said, as he revealed the overwhelming gender dysphoria he experienced years before publicly coming out as trans.
‘It almost became this thing that I knew and I just kept [thinking] that I’ll figure out a way to get around it. I think it was just actually too much — the concept of going through something like that publicly, and then being an actor,’ he began.
‘My brain was definitely doing what it could to get close, but then weave around…The dysphoria was so bad, and I would constantly verbalize and think about it, but I still somehow managed to convince myself like, no, no, no.
‘Or there’d be that next part to play. For so many people, life keeps going. People don’t get opportunities to necessarily stop and figure out how they actually feel.’
In October, Elliot opened up to Jay Shetty in his On Purpose podcast about the various feelings he had during his transition journey.
He revealed that prior to transitioning he always felt an overwhelming sense of ‘wanting to flee’ and described that everyday tasks became increasingly difficult
He revealed that prior to transitioning he always felt an overwhelming sense of ‘wanting to flee’ and described that everyday tasks became increasingly difficult.
Page, who recently published his memoir, Pageboy, got brutally honest as he lifted the lid on why it was so difficult for him to ‘exist’ before he came out.
In the podcast, he revealed that he now ‘feels free’ after transitioning and added that he felt a way that he ‘never thought was possible.’
He added that it had been a ‘gamechanger’ before sharing how he felt before.
‘For significant periods of my life I struggled to function on a pretty basic level, it was hard for me to literally sit down, it was hard for me to be productive, for me to be present at all,’ Page said.
‘I couldn’t see the future because I didn’t know how much longer I would last feeling that way.’
Page noted that he thought continuing to live life in that way and looking towards the future was ‘impossible.’
The Umbrella Academy actor explained that he even contemplated how he would continue to work as he called his manager lamenting about continuing to live a lie.
The star admitted that starring in the flick as pregnant teen Juno MacGuff and being forced to dress a certain way ‘almost killed’ him. He is pictured in the 2007 movie
Although the actor found it ‘so hard to exist and function’ in relationships, he craved being in love because it felt safer than being alone.
‘[In my] relationships in my past, I was selfish because I would fall in love just so I could have a moment to breathe,’ he said.
Prior to his transition, he dated Samantha Thomas (2015-2017), Emma Portner (2018-2020), whom he went on to marry before coming out in 2020 and the pair split.
Now, the actor noted he no longer had to be in a relationship to fill his time.
‘I feel exhilarated by the fact that I can be alone. I’m very much enjoying connecting with people, maybe having some fun, but sort of just being on my own right now,’ he said, adding: ‘So, I’m single.’
He also shared that his relationship with acting was ‘so much better’ now that he had transitioned.
‘Literally everything in my life is better now,’ Page added.
