Many of the political attacks on trans peopleāwhether it is a mandate that bathroom use be determined by birth sex, a blanket ban on medical interventions for trans kids or the suggestion that trans men are simply wayward women beguiled by male privilegeācarry the same subtext: that trans people are mistaken about who they are. āWe know who we are,ā Page says. āPeople cling to these firm ideas [about gender] because it makes people feel safe. But if we could just celebrate all the wonderful complexities of people, the world would be such a better place.ā
Page was attracted to the role of Vanya in The Umbrella Academy becauseāin the first season, released in 2019āVanya is crushed by self-loathing, believing herself to be the only ordinary sibling in an extraordinary family. The character can barely summon the courage to move through the world. āI related to how much Vanya was closed off,ā Page says. Now on set filming the third season, co-workers have seen a change in the actor. āIt seems like thereās a tremendous weight off his shoulders, a feeling of comfort,ā says showrunner Steve Blackman. āThereās a lightness, a lot more smiling.ā For Page, returning to set has been validating, if awkward at times. Yes, people accidentally use the wrong pronounsāāItās going to be an adjustment,ā Page saysābut co-workers also see and acknowledge him.
Whatever challenges might lie ahead, Page seems exuberant about playing a new spectrum of roles. āIām really excited to act, now that Iām fully who I am, in this body,ā Page says. āNo matter the challenges and difficult moments of this, nothing amounts to getting to feel how I feel now.āĀ This includes having short hair again. During the interview, Page keeps rearranging strands on his forehead. It took a long time for him to return to the barberās chair and ask to cut it short, but he got there. And how did that haircut feel?
Page tears up again, then smiles. āI just could not have enjoyed it more,ā he says.
ELLIOT PAGE
for TIME Magazine āŗ 2021
interview by Katy Steinmetz, photography by Wynne Neilly
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