"I called him nervously and he was incredible" — Elliot Page reveals how The Umbrella Academy director supported his on-screen transition

Elliot Page recently spoke about how he was supported by The Umbrella Academy showrunner, Steve Blackman, at the time of his transition. During his appearance at the Time100 Summit on April 24, 2024, the actor recalled that Blackman was the first person he could talk to.

"I was supposed to go back to shoot the third season and wanted to ideally get surgery before. I called him nervously and he was incredible, " Elliot Page mentioned.

For the unversed, Elliot Page plays Viktor Hargreeves (previously called Vanya) in Netflix's superhero series. The show is ending with its final season premiering this year.

The Inception star further stated during the summit that Blackman still wanted him to continue playing his character on the show and did everything he could to get the care that Page needed.

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Elliot Page addresses his journey after coming out as trans: Time100Summit statements explained

Elliot Page spoke about the successful career he has had over the years. Notably, his real-life transition was also added to his character from The Umbrella Academy after the first two seasons of the show. During the recent summit, he also talked about the Time Magazine cover featuring him back in 2021.

"That cover, which was shot by a trans man, Wynne Neilly in Toronto, and having that opportunity, it meant so much. It was also very overwhelming, as you can imagine," stated Elliot Page.

Elliot Page then addressed the kind of roles he is willing to take on in the future, saying that he has been approached for characters that are trans. He added that he is currently willing to explore all kinds of roles and storylines.

"I suppose I feel so much of my work, I've had to fight through such a discomfort before I could actually be present in a character. Now, to get to start from a foundation of just being there is so thrilling," Page continued

Furthermore, the Close to You star also expressed his gratitude for being able to be who he wanted to be. He said that there has been a problem of representation for trans people in today's film industry and he has been enjoying a lot as he is getting the chance to pen a few scripts.

"So much of my mind has been occupied by the unhealthy, toxic thinking and now I have the space where my consciousness is just like flowing," Elliot added.

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Elliot Page made his transition official through social media in 2020

While the Juno star came out as gay back in 2014, he announced that he is trans via an Instagram post on December 1, 2020. He (formerly Ellen Page) revealed his new name (Elliot) at the time, saying that he was thankful to everyone who supported him in the entire journey.

Page mentioned in his statement on Instagram:

"I can't begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self. I've been endlessly inspired by so many in the trans community. Thank you for your courage, your generosity and ceaselessly working to make this world a more inclusive and compassionate place."

Elliot Page has continued to speak about his transition on different occasions. Back in October 2023, the Halifax, Nova Scotia native appeared for an interview on a podcast, On Purpose, saying that he had to battle a lot of things before making his transition official.

"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."

He also revealed that he could not enjoy everything like he used to do in the past. Page added that he was satisfied since he could meet his friends and come out of his house.