"You feel like something's wrong with you," Page said while speaking exclusively to PEOPLE
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NEED TO KNOW
- Elliot Page discusses the feelings of shame and isolation that can come from growing up as a queer child
- The actor, 39, also spoke about the vital importance of queer representation for young people
- Page caught up with PEOPLE exclusively while promoting his new documentary, Second Nature — that he both narrated and co-produced — which explores same-sex pairings and gender fluidity in the animal world
Elliot Page is opening up about the “shame” and isolation of growing up as a queer kid — and why queer representation is so vital.
The actor, 39, spoke with PEOPLE exclusively while promoting the new documentary Second Nature, which he both narrated and co-produced.
The film, directed by filmmaker Drew Denny, explores the prevalence of same-sex relationships and gender fluidity in the animal world — something that often gets overlooked and underreported in mainstream biology lessons.
Credit: Roberty Hofmeyr
“To really have this real, thorough investigatory piece about the reality of this information, the reality of what has been left out and what we've not been taught,” Page said while discussing why he felt compelled to be a part of the project.
“And I think that sense of growing up as a queer kid and feeling alone — 'cause you feel like you are alone, even, of course, in retrospect, you're not — you weren't. You feel excluded, you feel like something's wrong with you,” he continued.
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“You're carrying these bricks of shame, and there's such implications and consequences in terms of censorship and erasure … and this idea that nature is organized around a cis heteronormative system is just completely false,” Page added.
The Umbrella Academy star went on to say that he firmly believes anyone and everyone can glean something valuable from the doc, which premiered at SXSW and recently screened at the Reel Wild Festival in New York City.
“First of all, it's just beautifully made. It's entertaining. It's funny. It's gonna captivate you, and it's just such incredibly valuable information. No matter who you are, no matter how you identify,” he told PEOPLE.
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“And I think it's [full of] interesting facts that you can't believe you didn't know before, but it's also the ripple effect of conversation that comes from watching this,” he continued.
“What are the impacts of censorship, and what are the impacts of censorship on art and science and all facets of our society?” Page added.
Credit: Slaven Vlasic/Getty
Page, who came out as trans in a heartfelt social media post in 2020, has previously opened up about how he hopes sharing his own journey publicly helps push trans visibility forward.
“When I'm walking down the street, and young people come up to me, it means the world to me,” he said while speaking to PEOPLE in 2023. “Them being themselves, having the courage to say, ‘This is who I am, and I'm gonna live authentically.' ”
He shared that, since coming out, he has experienced a peace and happiness that he once thought impossible.
“It definitely feels a way that I never thought I would get to feel, and that mostly manifests in how present I feel, the ease I feel and the ability to exist,” he said.
Second Nature will be playing in theaters in Los Angeles on May 24 and in New York City on June 26.
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