After publicly coming out as transgender [1] in December, Elliot Page is opening up in his first interview with TIME [2]. Since discussing his identity in a heartfelt letter on Twitter, the Umbrella Academy [3] actor told the publication that he's feeling "true excitement and deep gratitude to have made it to this point in my life, mixed with a lot of fear and anxiety." While his announcement was met with widespread support from costars and friends [4], Elliot revealed that he also experienced a lot of "hatred and transphobia." "What I was anticipating was a lot of support and love and a massive amount of hatred and transphobia. That's essentially what happened."
Despite that, Elliot is even more encouraged now to use his voice to lift up others in the LGBTQ+ community, specifically the transgender community. "We know who we are," he told the publication. "People 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." He added that he wants to use his "privilege and platform to help in the ways I can." Read more quotes from his cover story ahead.
- On how the pandemic helped him come to terms with his identity and his decision to split from wife Emma Portner [5]: "We've remained close friends. I had a lot of time on my own to really focus on things that I think, in so many ways, unconsciously, I was avoiding."
- On never feeling comfortable growing up in the spotlight: "I just never recognised myself. For a long time I could not even look at a photo of myself."
- On how he felt after coming out as gay in 2014: "The difference in how I felt before coming out as gay to after was massive. But did the discomfort in my body ever go away? No, no, no, no."
- On taking on new roles as an actor: "I'm really excited to act, now that I'm fully who I am, in this body. No matter the challenges and difficult moments of this, nothing amounts to getting to feel how I feel now."