Elliot Page has apologised for a homophobic remark made by his character in the 2007 film Juno, admitting he regrets making the throwaway comment.
Starring alongside Michael Cera and Alison Janney, the comedy-drama saw Page - who presented as female at the time and has since come out as transgender - play a high-schooler who accidentally falls pregnant, before making the selfless decision to give up her unborn child for adoption.
Upon its release, the film was met by critical acclaim and bagged four Academy Award nominations at the 2007 ceremony.
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Page, who was just 20 at the time, received a 'Best Actress in a Leading Role' nomination but ultimately lost to Marion Cotillard for La Vie en Rose. The offbeat flick successfully still scooped the Oscar for 'Best Original Screenplay'.
In the years that followed, the now 38-year-old has reflected on what it was like to star in the film and has shared one regret he has from that time in his life.
The Canadian actor - who has since gone on to bag roles in Netflix sci-fi hit The Umbrella Academy and blockbuster X-Men: The Last Stand - recently expressed regret over a line his character says, which was accused at the time of poking fun at the LGBTQ+ community.
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In the film, whilst Juno and her baby's adoptive parents are discussing baby names, she rejects the moniker Madison, claiming it 'sounds a little gay'.
Reflecting on the error, Page claimed the comment 'wasn't something I totally registered at the time'.
He told Bustle: "Of course, now that I’m older I do. So many movies I loved as a kid are just rampant with homophobia and transphobia and biphobia, and I’m not excusing it by any means.
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"It really hurts the industry and it really hurts film. We need more stories. We need more representation. We need more points of view."
In 2014, while still presenting as female, Page bravely came out as gay, and six years later, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, he revealed he was actually a transgender man, having kept his true identity hidden for as long as he could remember.
"Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot," he wrote on social media at the time.
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"I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life. I love that I am trans. And I love that I am queer. And the more I hold myself close and fully embrace who I am, the more I dream, the more my heart grows and the more I thrive."
Topics: Elliot Page, Celebrity, TV And Film, US News
Bec Oakes