The transformation of Elliot Page

In December 2020, Elliot Page openly came out as a transgender person. Since then, he's used his fame and influence to bring greater visibility and understanding to people who are going through a similar transition. In 2023, Page went viral once again on social media with a shirtless photo. It seems to be one of his happiest moments ever since he changed his body with the help of gender-affirming surgery.

Page talked about the feeling of not having the body in which one feels they belong: dysphoria. It "used to be especially rife in the summer. No layers, just a T-shirt - or layers and oh so sweaty - constantly looking down, readjusting my oversized T," he told his Instagram followers. Next to the text was a picture of his bare chest.

He continued, "It feels so F good soaking in the sun now, I never thought I could experience this, the joy I feel in my body. I am so grateful for what gender-affirming care has allowed me and I look forward to sharing more of my journey soon."

Photo: @elliotpage / Instagram

Since coming out as transgender in December 2020, actor Elliot Page has done his best to make the experience of a trans person as visible and understandable as possible. He regularly posts about trans rights and talks about his own struggle of being 'born into the wrong body'.

In May 2021, Elliot Page surprised his followers with his photo in swimwear, showing off a real six-pack. He uses his platform as a celebrity to show the effect gender-affirming surgery can have. The reactions to his post were overwhelmingly positive.

A month earlier, Page had sat down with Oprah Winfrey to talk about his experience as a famous trans man. The interview, released as part of the series 'Oprah's Conversations' on April 30, showed a visibly emotional Elliot Page recounting how difficult it was to first come out as gay and then as trans.

Image: @elliotpage / Instagram

The actor had posted a message about his sexuality on social media in December 2020, indicating that he wanted to be referred to as 'he' and 'they' from then on. He said he found it "crucial" to do so, because there was a "horrible backlash... towards trans people, particularly trans youth," he told Oprah.

Image: OWN TV

With the word "backlash," Elliot Page referred to new laws in the United States banning young transgender people from certain medical treatments or athletics.

Image: @elliotpage / Instagram

The actor also said that he could not bear to live in the closet anymore as he had done before he came out as gay in 2014. The years leading up to that first coming out had been too painful for too long.

Image: @elliotpage / Instagram

Elliot came out as gay (when he was still known as Ellen Page) shortly before his 27th birthday. "Up until then I had pretty much never even touched someone outside who I was in love with," Page told Oprah. "I think any sensation of feeling that again, there was just no way I could do it." Coming out as a transgender man was important for his "own well-being" and mental health.

Image: OWN TV

Born in the Canadian city of Halifax on January 21, 1987, this famous actor used to be considered a girl and called Ellen. As a female actress, Page gained acclaim in Hollywood with movies like 'Juno,' 'Inception,' and 'Days of Future Past.' In 2014, the actor came out as a gay woman. In 2020, he announced that Ellen Page no longer existed and that he would now be Elliot Page.

"I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot," the actor wrote on Twitter in December 2020. "I love that I am trans. And I love that I am queer. And the more I hold myself close and fully embrace who I am, the more I dream, the more my heart grows, and the more I thrive."

Soon afterward, the news came out that Elliot Page and his wife, the Canadian dancer/choreographer Emma Portner, were getting divorced after three years of marriage. The couple had secretly married in 2018 and stayed together until 2021.

While a new chapter opens in Page's personal life, his professional career continues where it began during his childhood. At the age of ten, he played his first role in a movie: 'Pit Pony'. As a teenager Page impressed audiences with 'Hard Candy' (image), a gripping film about child abuse.

The rise of Page in Hollywood was quickly consolidated with a role in the X-Men saga: Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde). The shoot of this film, which premiered in 2006, carried some difficult moments for the actor. They were strongly related to the self-discovery of his gender and sexual identity. While Elliot Page was still unsure of his identity as a man, he received some devastating comments during the filming of 'X-Men: The Last Stand.'

As Page recounted in 2017, director Brett Ratner (left on the photo) insisted during the filming of 'X-Men' that the actor publicly come out as gay. The director made hurtful comments and even encouraged a woman on the set to have relations with Page "so that everyone would realize the actor was gay."

Actress Anna Paquin (l) supported Page (m) after the painful incidents from the 'X-Men' set became public. "I was there when that comment was made. I stand with you," she tweeted. Meanwhile, Elliot Page explained how hard it was to be scrutinized for her most intimate feelings: "It left me deeply ashamed. We have a right to keep our sexual orientation process private."

The film 'Juno' introduced Elliot Page to yet another great audience as well as to the Academy. It got him his first Oscar nomination.

In those days of fame, Elliot Page was still known to the public as Ellen Page. His doubts about his personal identity were private and hidden.

The road to public visibility was long. In 2014, after years of silence, Page came out as a gay woman. It happened at an LGBTQ conference in Las Vegas. "I feel I have a personal obligation and a social responsibility in all this," the actor said.

Elliot Page has come a long way since his childhood in Canada where, as he recalls, he liked to climb trees and listen to rap. Now, as a trans and queer icon, he makes clear that his announcement is a political one.  "Discrimination against the transgender population is real, horrible and cruel ... I am one of those people and we won't be silent in the face of your attacks."

On Instagram, Elliot Page says that he has mixed feelings about being out as a transgender person. "I feel emerging joy and excitement one moment, and then in the next, profound sadness reading about people wanting to take gender-affirming health care away from children. I feel so grateful to be at this place in my life, and I want to use the strength I have to help in all the ways that I can."

Photo: @elliotpage / Instagram

Elliot Page is a fervent activist for several causes: he eats vegan, supports PETA (an association protesting animal abuse), and a feminist.

While embarking on the marriage with Emma Portner in 2018, Elliot Page went through some great professional growth with projects like 'The Umbrella Academy,' a successful fiction series on Netflix.

Among the Hollywood stars who first voiced their opinions about Elliot Page's announcement of his transgender pride is Mark Ruffalo. The 'Avengers' star said on Twitter: "Congratulations, Elliot. You make this world a kinder, more tolerant place."

Elliot Page has always had a cordial relationship with actresses and actors. However, for a long time, the actor of 'Juno' has expressed how difficult it is to maintain a non-traditional gender and sexual identity in Hollywood: "They recommend that you better not make your sexuality public if you want to work smoothly in the industry."

This "don't ask don't tell" mentality still weighs on the entertainment industry. With outspoken gay and trans actors like Elliot Page, prejudice may be banished with time, and diversity will prevail in the entertainment industry as in other sectors.

Image: 'Inception'

Elliot Page will continue to make headlines, for his activism as well as his work in film and series. His personal story has been a quest that first took place behind the curtains and now continues out in the open. Go for it, Elliot!