By Steve Hopkins.
‘I never thought I could experience this’
Elliot Page has shared his “transjoy” in a heartfelt post on social media.
In an Instagram post, The Umbrella Academy star explained the simple and the profound changes gender-affirming care had on his life.
The 36-year-old shared a topless snap while opening up about the struggles he overcame living in his own skin.
Page wrote that “dysphoria used to be especially rife in the summer”.
“No layers, just a T-shirt – or layers and oh so sweaty – constantly looking down, readjusting my oversized tee.
“I never thought I could experience this, the joy I feel in my body.”
Page told his followers that he would soon share “more of my journey”, going from someone who didn’t recognise himself when he looked in the mirror to the person he is today.
View this post on Instagram
“I am so grateful for what gender-affirming care has allowed me and I look forward to sharing more of my journey soon,” the Juno star wrote.
Page, who came out publicly as transgender in December 2020, has a memoir out next book, entitled Pageboy.
Publisher Flatiron Books revealed the Oscar nominee’s memoir will take a dive into Page’s “relationship with his body, his experiences as one of the most famous trans people in the world, and will cover mental health, assault, love, relationships, sex and the cesspool that Hollywood can be”.
The publisher writes in a synopsis, that, with Juno, Page became one of the “world’s most beloved actors” but as his dreams were coming true, the pressures to perform began to suffocate him, as did playing a role that just wasn’t him.
“As he navigated criticism and abuse from some of the most powerful people in Hollywood, a past that snapped at his heels, and a society dead set on forcing him into a binary, Elliot often stayed silent, unsure of what to do, until enough was enough.”
“Full of behind-the-scenes details and intimate interrogations on sex, love, trauma, and Hollywood, Pageboy is the story of a life pushed to the brink. But at its core, this beautifully written, winding journey of what it means to untangle ourselves from the expectations of others is an ode to stepping into who we truly are with defiance, strength, and joy.”
In June, Page told TV talkshow host Seth Meyers that he felt an “extraordinary…degree of joy” after coming out.
“I feel a way that I really never thought possible for a long, long time.
“So that’s really what I’m focussing on and embracing the most. But, of course, moments can be overwhelming.”
