Elliot Page, the 36-year-old actor known for his role in Umbrella Academy, has revealed that he has known since the age of four that he is a boy.
In December 2020, Page publicly came out as transgender, becoming one of Hollywood’s most prominent trans stars. Now, in his newly released memoir titled Pageboy, he delves into intimate aspects of his life, including his love life and the details surrounding his coming out.
The Oscar nominee opens up about his experience with gender dysphoria, providing a candid account of the challenges he faced living as a girl. Page also shares unsettling incidents, such as a confrontation with a stalker.
Reflecting on his childhood in Nova Scotia, Canada, Page recounts a date he had with a woman named Sara in Manhattan. During their conversation, Sara asked him when he first realized he was transgender. Page writes, “I knew when I was four years old. I went to the YMCA preschool in downtown Halifax, on South Park Street across from the Public Gardens.”
He further explains, “Primarily, I understood that I wasn’t a girl. Not in a conscious sense, but in a pure sense, uncontaminated. That sensation is one of my earliest and clearest memories.” Even at that young age, Page already had a strong sense of his true identity.
Page shares a personal anecdote about attempting to urinate while standing up, recognizing that it felt more natural to him. He also mentions feeling disconnected from the other girls and experiencing internal turmoil when observing them.
At the age of six, Page approached his mother, Martha Philpotts, who worked as a public school English and French teacher, and expressed his desire to be a boy. Her response was supportive but informed him, “No hon, you can’t, you’re a girl. But you can do anything a boy can do.” Despite this, Page’s journey of self-discovery continued.
Throughout his schooling years, Page developed crushes on girls, with Sandra Bullock being a significant infatuation after watching her in the 1996 movie Two If By Sea, which happened to be filmed in Nova Scotia. He shares a heartwarming anecdote, stating, “My heart was ‘aflutter’ for Sandra Bullock, my eight-year-old self not comprehending that I once again had a crush.”
Reflecting on the passage of time, Page reveals a remarkable encounter with Sandra Bullock two decades later. Over dinner with his friend Catherine Keener and Sandra at the renowned Craig’s restaurant in Beverly Hills, Page recounts how the actress exuded a cool and down-to-earth demeanor, just as he had imagined in his childhood infatuation. He muses, “Oh, these strange roads we travel.”
Elliot Page’s memoir offers a deeply personal and introspective exploration of his journey towards self-acceptance and understanding. His story serves as a testament to the power of embracing one’s authentic identity and the complexities of navigating life’s unique paths.
