He asked fans, the public and the press to use he/him and they/them pronouns from now on. As a huge fan of Page's work, from their breakout roles in Juno and Hard Candy to their larger roles in Inception, X-Men and of course his latest role in The Umbrella Academy, I was delighted to see him come out, now able to live as his authentic self.
Going forward as an actor, it is almost impossible to say what will happen next. Netflix has confirmed on Twitter that Elliot Page will reprise the role of Vanya Hargreeves in Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy. After Vanya's queer storyline in Season 2, perhaps there will be a trans storyline for Vanya in season 3 or perhaps not, it's hard to say. Personally, I believe that a trans or non-binary storyline for a main character in such a prominent Netflix series would make for incredible representation, particularly if the character in question is played by a transgender non-binary actor.
Too often we see queer character played by cisgender or heterosexual actors (Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl, David Duchovny in Twin Peaks or Nick Robinson in Love, Simon) so seeing a transgender character played by a trans actor would be fantastic for the LGBTQ+ community. Of course, however, Vanya doesn't need to follow this path on the show. If Elliot is happy continuing to play Vanya as a cisgender female character, there is no reason he can't do that too.
Too often we see queer character played by cisgender or heterosexual actors
As for future projects, I cannot wait to see what is next for Elliot. In his coming out post, he said to the community "I will offer whatever support I can and continue to strive for a more equal and loving society." With such a goal in mind, I can only imagine that his next project will aspire to deliver a message of love and support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Feature Image Credit: IMDb, Getty Images
