Elliot Page opened up about the joy in his life after coming out as a transgender man in December 2020.
The Hollywood star — who transitioned 13 years after shooting to global stardom in the hit movie Juno — admitted he was 'so miserable' before taking the brave steps during a recent interview with Them.
'Sometimes I’m like, "Oh my God, being trans is such a life hack," because before, I was so miserable. And now you're like, "What? This is great. I don't mind. This is kind of cool." Like, what?' he explained.
The Oscar-nominated actor highlighted his newfound happiness by sharing how thrilling it was to recently watch Cardi B in concert and fully embrace the experience as his true self.
'I’m this 37-year-old dude in a stadium, jumping up and down and screaming, and it felt so nice to be like, "Here I am,"' Elliot said.
Elliot Page opened up about the joy in his life after coming out as a transgender man in December 2020
The Hollywood star — who transitioned 13 years after shooting to global stardom in the hit movie Juno — admitted he was 'so miserable' before taking the brave steps during a recent interview with Them
He also expressed deep gratitude for queer communities that created spaces for people who, like him, are navigating similar struggles.
'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 claimed.
'I think I probably would’ve faded away.'
Elliot went on to reveal the overwhelming gender dysphoria he experience years before publicly coming out as trans.
'It almost became this thing that I knew and I just kept [thinking] that I’ll figure out a way to get around it. I think it was just actually too much — the concept of going through something like that publicly, and then being an actor,' he began.
'My brain was definitely doing what it could to get close, but then weave around…The dysphoria was so bad, and I would constantly verbalize and think about it, but I still somehow managed to convince myself like, no, no, no.
'Or there’d be that next part to play. For so many people, life keeps going. People don’t get opportunities to necessarily stop and figure out how they actually feel.'
In October, Elliot opened up to Jay Shetty in his On Purpose podcast about the various feelings he had during his transition journey.
He revealed that prior to transitioning he always felt an overwhelming sense of 'wanting to flee' and described that everyday tasks became increasingly difficult.
Elliot, who recently published his memoir, Pageboy, got brutally honest as he lifted the lid on why it was so difficult for him to 'exist' before he came out.
In the podcast, he revealed that he now 'feels free' after transitioning and added that he felt a way that he 'never thought was possible.'
He added that it had been a 'gamechanger' before sharing how he felt before.
'For significant periods of my life I struggled to function on a pretty basic level, it was hard for me to literally sit down, it was hard for me to be productive, for me to be present at all,' Elliot said.
'I couldn't see the future because I didn't know how much longer I would last feeling that way.'
Elliot noted that he thought continuing to live life in that way and looking towards the future was 'impossible.'
The Umbrella Academy actor explained that he even contemplated how he would continue to work as he called his manager lamenting about continuing to live a lie.
He detailed the devastating conversations he had with his manager that saw him questioning how he would 'handle' everything and revealing that he needed to come out, adding that he was prepared for any judgements as he thought it would get him blacklisted from Hollywood.
'Pre-transition I always had a sense of wanting to flee,' Elliot revealed before opening up about why he sought love before coming out.
Although the actor found it 'so hard to exist and function' in relationships, he craved being in love because it felt safer than being alone.
'[In my] relationships in my past, I was selfish because I would fall in love just so I could have a moment to breathe,' he said.
Prior to his transition, he dated Samantha Thomas (2015-2017), Emma Portner (2018-2020), whom he went on to marry before coming out in 2020 and the pair split.
Now, the actor noted he no longer had to be in a relationship to fill his time.
'I feel exhilarated by the fact that I can be alone. I'm very much enjoying connecting with people, maybe having some fun, but sort of just being on my own right now,' he said.
'So, I'm single.'
He also shared that his relationship with acting was 'so much better' now that he had transitioned.
'Literally everything in my life is better now,' Elliot added.
'There's this ability to just exist every day on set and just be on my body.'
He shared that he no longer struggled to live life, but instead fully immersed himself in it.
Elliot said he also reminded himself how thankful he was everyday, adding that he experienced 'gender euphoria' when doing basic tasks like drinking coffee.
The Juno actor - who knew he was trans from a young age - noted that the trans community was huge reason he felt so free.
He added that Pageboy helped people 'feel less alone, carry less shame, talk to their parents in a better way.'
At the end of the podcast, the actor shared advice for parents who had children who wanted to transition.
He suggested they 'create gentleness and support change.'
In the past, Elliot has spoken out about the 'intense' depression and anxiety he battled before coming out as transgender, admitting that he would have 'severe panic attacks' when he was asked to wear dresses to public events.
As a kid, Elliot - who grew up in Nova Scotia - was bullied by his classmates, which he said had a long-lasting effect on his mental health. He is pictured as a child
Elliot (pictured as a kid) admitted that getting 'teased, made fun of, and called names on a daily basis' often got in his head, especially since he was 'already feeling so much shame'
Elliot added that the bullies left 'a whole bunch of s***' that he had to 'dig through and unlearn' in his adult life.
