Elliot Page on Hollywood’s obsession with fame: “It’s a system, and it’s pretty toxic”
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(Credits: TIFF)
Elliot Page recently discussed being a part of Hollywood, describing it as a “pretty toxic” system that perpetuates misery for many actors.
He also commented on his coming out, describing the label “niche” when applied to the LGBTQ+ community as something that “irks” him. “I’m sorry, this is not niche,” he said, adding: “If you told really specific stories about cis-het people, I’m not calling that plot niche.”
Expanding on the view that Hollywood is “toxic,” he added that “it actually makes a lot of people unhappy,” mostly due to the institution and external factors being so obsessed with fame.
Discussing real and fictional stories about fame, he said that it almost always “does not end well,” adding, “It doesn’t do great things to people. And I think that’s what we see in all the narratives we tell. So it’s so funny to me that we have this sort of obsession with it,” per The Hollywood Reporter.
The star also reflected on his Oscar nomination in 2008, which he received for his role in Juno. He claimed this to be one of his most “miserable” experiences, adding that, while this was the case, he felt inclined to keep his experiences and feelings private.
Despite the internal struggles he faced along the way, however, he does feel that coming out in 2020 was “a massive step forward to getting closer to who I really am,” adding that it was a “weight off my shoulders.” Opening up about his coming out as trans, he explained that it represented “finally ridding myself of my own internalised transphobia and accepting my identity and really choosing to live my life.”
Page is currently looking forward to the release of his forthcoming film, Close to You, which recently debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film features little scripted dialogue and narrates the story of Sam, played by Page, a trans man who returns home and is forced to confront his past.
Director Dominic Savage described working with Page as “a remarkable experience,” adding that it was an “honour to work with Elliot to bring this very poignant, personal and important story to life and to the screen.”
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