‘Calling LGBTQIA+ a niche is something that irritates me’, says Elliot Page

Last Thursday (14), Elliot Page was loudly applauded at the opening of the BFI Flare film festival, in London, focused on LGBTQIA+ productions.

Although the festival is dedicated to the community, Elliot stated that it is not a niche. “30% of young people identify as LGBTQIA+, so I’m sorry, this is not a niche,” said the actor. “It actually irritates me. Specific stories about cis-straight people aren’t called niche,” he added, who has released his new film, “Close To You.”

Toxic system

Elliot, who was nominated for an Oscar for “Juno” in 2008, also spoke about the problems in the film industry. “Of course there are great people in Hollywood. The problem is more the model. It’s a very toxic system that makes a lot of people unhappy,” he criticized, who was going through one of the worst moments of his life at the time of the success of “Juno “.

“It was one of the moments when I felt most miserable. And I felt like I couldn’t tell people how miserable I was”, he said.

The 37-year-old actor also said that people’s obsession with celebrities is curious. “I find society’s obsession with fame so funny. I’m sure a lot of people love being famous and all the power they gain from it. But every story involving fame, whether real or fictional, never ends well.”

Four years after coming out as a trans man, Elliot says he feels more relaxed. In 2014, the actor first identified as queer. “It was a big step towards getting closer to who I really am. It took so much weight off my shoulders. I was very cloistered, I never went on a date or held anyone’s hand on the street until I was 27. And I felt really bad about it”, he revealed, who talks about the transition in his autobiography “Pageboy”.

“Identifying as queer was a massive change in my life and made it a lot better. And it paved the way for the next step, which was letting go of my own internalized transphobia and accepting my identity and finally choosing to live my life,” adds Elliot.

“Close To You”, which premiered at the Toronto festival, is Page’s first starring film since 2017. He plays trans man Sam, who returns to his town in rural Canada to visit his family and reunites with a childhood friend, forcing himself to confront old feelings. Elliot collaborated on the script with director Dominic Savage, as the film was made with a lot of improvised dialogue.