Elliot Page rejected titular role in period drama as wearing a woman's costume gave him ‘kill myself’ thoughts
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Elliot Page has revealed that he once said no to a "sought-after role" in a period drama because he knew wearing female clothes for the character would suffocate him more. The 36-year-old starred in the hit movie ‘Juno’ in 2008 and soon after that, he was reportedly offered a new work opportunity. At the time, he publicly identified himself as a female named Ellen Page.
In his new book, ‘Pageboy: A Memoir’, Page has written as per Insider, “After awards season concluded, I was supposed to make a film in England. It was based on a famous book, and I was attached as the main character, a sought-after role," apparently referring to the 2011 film 'Jane Eyre'.
He went on to explain, “I would imagine myself in a woman's costume from the mid-nineteenth century. The dress, the shoes, the hair, flashed before my eyes. It was too much after having put on the mask for awards season.”
‘I was despondent, trapped in a dismal disguise’
‘The Umbrella Academy’ star stated, “I understood that if I were to do it, I would want to kill myself. It was too much to play a role on-screen when the role I played in my personal life was suffocating me already,” before adding, “I pushed myself to dispel the truth for fear of banishment, but I was despondent, trapped in a dismal disguise. An empty, aimless shell. I ended up backing out of the film.”
Page also pointed out the struggle of not honestly telling the truth loudly at the time. He said, “It wasn't easy to explain to my reps that I couldn't take on a role because of clothing. A face would scrunch up and tilt sideways, 'But you're an actor?' Wardrobe fittings for films ripped at my insides, talons gashing my organs.”
‘They said I should wear a dress and heels’
The early 20s were not easy for the Canada-born actor as he had to wear clothes according to the directors' and producers’ demands, especially during movie premieres and photoshoots. Page noted in his memoir, “I cringed at the way people lit up when seeing me in feminine clothing as if I had accomplished a miraculous feat.”
Recalling the premiere of ‘Juno’, he noted that he wanted to don “jeans and a western(ish) shirt” but “when the Fox Searchlight publicity team learned about my outfit, they urgently took me to Holt Renfrew on Bloor Street, with a dramatic rushing that is characteristic of the Hollywood circulatory system. I suggested a suit. They said I should wear a dress and heels.”
Jason Reitman, the director of ‘Juno’, also “agreed with them, insisting that I play the part.” Page showed his disappointment when co-star Michael Cera turned up at the world premiere in slacks, a collared shirt, and a pair of sneakers. “He looked fancy to me. I wonder why they didn't take him to Holt Renfrew. I guess he had nothing to hide, he was approved. He fit the part,” the ‘Hard Candy’ actor asserted.
