Elliot Page Confirms First Major Role After Umbrella Academy
Elliot Page will star in the upcoming film Close to You, the actor's first role playing a male since transitioning.
Elliot Page is ready to start his post-Umbrella Academy acting career with the independent drama Close to You. The movie will be a big step forward for the actor as it marks Page’s first big role since coming out as transgender in 2020. According to Variety, the film, helmed by Love+Hate director Dominic Savage, recently wrapped production in Page’s native Canada.
In Close to You, Elliot Page plays Sam, a man returning to his childhood home for a family reunion he dreads attending. The role is an important one for Page as it’s the first time the actor will be portraying his real gender on the big screen. Page transitioned between seasons 2 and 3 of the Netflix series The Umbrella Academy, and his character—originally Vanya Hargreeves—transitioned to Viktor in the third season to reflect his new identity.
But the movie isn’t just an acting milestone for Elliot Page; it’s also a personal one. Close to You was co-written by Page and Savage and is, in the director’s words, a “very poignant, personal and important story.” Savage described the movie as a “unique film about love, identity and family” and expressed his pride over what he and Page had achieved with the movie.
Elliot Page also expressed their pride over working with Savage and co-star Sound of Metal‘s Hillary Baack, calling it a “pleasure” to have worked with them as well as the “incredibly talented” cast and crew. Everyone involved with the film seems to hold it dear to their heart. Executives from the production company Kindred Spirit, co-financiers on the film, called Close to You an act of “pure trust and collaboration” between Page and Savage and added that they couldn’t wait for audiences to see Page’s vulnerable yet powerful performance in the movie.
Page recently released a memoir titled Pageboy that chronicles the trials and tribulations of coming to terms with being queer and trans as a famous actor. The book and Page’s role in Close to You comes at a tumultuous time for the transgender community. Several states are working on or have passed bills making it hard for trans people to get the gender-affirming care they need to live a happy and healthy life—care like the top surgery Elliot Page himself described as “life-saving.”
With any luck, Elliot Page’s work on Close to You will go a long way toward normalizing roles for trans and non-binary actors in Hollywood. As the star of box office juggernauts like Inception and the X-Men series, Page is perhaps one of the most high-profile trans actors currently working in Hollywood, giving him an unprecedented platform to educate people on and speak out for trans rights.
It’s important to note, of course, that Elliot Page is more than just “that transgender celebrity.” The star has had a long and successful career just based on the fact that he’s a damn good actor alone. However, being trans is a huge part of Page’s identity, and the focus of much of their advocacy, and to not bring it up would be weird and frankly disingenuous.
Close to You is currently in post-production, so fans can expect it to be released later this year or early 2024.
