Elliot Page: Back Home, Fully Himself
Elliot Page has witnessed the electrifying energy of two stadium concerts in his lifetime: Neil Young at the Metro Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2008, and earlier this year, Megan Thee Stallion's headlining debut at Madison Square Garden. As we sit down for a chat in a quiet corner of the Condé Nast offices, the actor's usual calm demeanor gives way to unrestrained enthusiasm, his arms reaching towards the ceiling as he recounts the exhilarating moment Cardi B took the stage for a surprise performance of "Bongos." He had been hoping for her appearance, and when she did, his excitement couldn't be contained.
"I'm this 37-year-old bloke in a stadium, jumping around and shouting," he recalls, vividly painting the scene, "and it felt brilliant to be like, 'Here I am.'"
While age is just a number, and the joy of a good concert is universal, there's something poignant about Page's feeling of complete presence at that moment in MSG. This was the first show he had seen in the world's most famous arena, and right alongside him was his close friend, comedian Jes Tom. ("Elliot and I, to be honest, we're just mates being mates," Tom tells me later about their bond.) As a fellow trans man, I understand what it's like to experience these heightened, queer coming-of-age moments, when a regular night out is elevated by the fact that you get to experience it *now*, fully, as yourself.
In conversation, Page is incredibly deliberate with his words. His carefulness could easily be misconstrued as reservation. However, the longer he speaks, the more he reveals himself as someone experiencing life with newfound clarity. He is, as he puts it, *here*.
By now, we are all familiar with the struggles Page faced to reach this point. The Canadian-born actor, writer, and producer shot to A-list stardom with his Oscar-nominated performance in 2007's *Juno*, following critical acclaim for his starring role in the 2005 psychological thriller *Hard Candy*. He became known for roles that seamlessly blended the dramatic with the comedic, the heart-wrenching with the hilarious.
Page was also juggling a balancing act off-screen: the actor had to navigate not one, but two very public coming-out moments, first sharing his gay identity in a 2014 speech, and then coming out as transgender in an Instagram post amidst the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020. Almost overnight, Page became "the most famous trans man in the world," as various major media outlets have labelled him. This label comes with pressures I wouldn't wish on anyone, particularly someone so newly out.
The actor says that the strength of his friendships, especially his bond with American Civil Liberties Union attorney and trans activist Chase Strangio, helped him weather the storm of headlines. "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 tells me, pausing for a moment. "I think I probably would have faded away."
