Ellen Page on being gay, playing an outcast hero

LOS ANGELES—“I feel great, happy—like a massive weight was lifted,” Ellen Page declared about coming out as gay, which she did during the recent inaugural Time to Thrive conference of the Human Rights Foundation in Las Vegas.

In this interview at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in New York’s Central Park, the actress said, “Every aspect of my life feels better. I am more excited and creatively inspired than I’ve been in a long time. I’m nothing but thrilled about it.”

The 27-year-old Canada native, in an all-black ensemble, was her usual confident self but, once or twice, she choked with emotion. “Hopefully, people will continue to evolve and get rid of whatever issues they have with the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community,” said Ellen, who earned an Oscar and Golden Globe Best Actress nomination for her portrayal of a pregnant teenager in Jason Reitman’s “Juno” (2007).

Photo by Ruben V. Nepales

Ellen explained why she decided to open up: “The whole point was selfish: I just wanted to be a happier person. But the more people come out, it takes a chunk out of homophobia. The more visible people in the LGBT community become, hopefully the less hate there will be [around them]. Then actors wouldn’t have to hide that aspect of themselves.”

Realization

She added, “As a gay person, it’s hard for me to fathom why you hate me or anyone who’s gay or transgender. I hope that, in time, more people will realize that we’re all just human beings living our lives and falling in love—which to me is beautiful and rare. Why wouldn’t you want that for someone?”

Ellen, who returns as Kitty Pryde in “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” said she hoped that, “as time goes on, people will grow, change and be more accepting. No one should have to suffer, whether in Russia, Uganda or the United States, for being gay. I am always hopeful about people.”

Ellen, who has had an agent since she was 10, acknowledged the length of time that it took her to declare her homosexuality.

(From roles on Canadian TV, she broke through in American cinema, especially in indie films. She first portrayed Kitty Pryde in Brett Ratner’s’ “X-Men: The Last Stand.” She harnessed her reputation as a young actress to watch in such films as “Juno,” Woody Allen’s “To Rome with Love” and Christopher Nolan’s “Inception.”)

“For a long while, I was afraid to come out,” she confessed. “It had to do with my career and what I was told—that, basically, I shouldn’t. At 20, it was clear to me that my life had changed. I was discovering who I was. When I was ready to do it, which was recently, I knew that it was because I was done feeling I couldn’t be myself. I was done feeling worried and afraid about it, done having to be in relationships and keeping them hidden. I felt guilty for not being there for the LGBT community. There’s been a lot of progress but there’s still suffering, abuse and inequality. So I came out.”

Staggering statistic

Ellen continued, “It is painful, really toxic, not to be able to express who you are. You think of how 40 percent of homeless youth in America are LGBT youth. That is a staggering statistic. You think of the depression and suicide rates, the struggles—it affects you in a way that is really unfair. It absolutely needs to change. Now, the freedom I experience and what’s been lifted from me… I don’t even have words for it.”

Photo by Ruben V. Nepales

She was 19 when Ellen told her parents she was gay, although she had known much earlier. “I knew I was gay, or starting to think about being bi, and first used the word bisexual when I was about 15 or 16. I was in a proper relationship with a woman when I was 20.”

The petite, long-haired thespian claimed that, before she came out, “most people” in her circle of family and friends knew she was gay. “I lived a very open life,” she said. “In my personal interactions with people outside of the public eye, I didn’t consider myself closeted at all. Often, if I met some people who didn’t know I was gay, I was surprised because I always assumed that everybody did.”

According to Ellen, the response to her coming out “has been virtually nothing but positive. Of course, you hear some hate [remarks]. Of course, there’s some viciousness. That’s part of it—being in the minority that’s treated unfairly.”

Ellen was asked to comment on the show biz industry boycott of the hotels owned by the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah because of Brunei’s new laws targeting gays and women. Fox, for instance, moved its “X-Men…” media junket from the Sultan’s Dorchester Hotel in London. On the other hand, the boycott threatens the livelihood of employees and suppliers of the Sultan’s hotels, which include the famous Beverly Hills Hotel.

Right thing

“Yeah, it’s tough,” Ellen conceded. “I was just talking about that this morning. Of course, you have to take a stand. It was the right thing to do, removing the junket from that hotel. Of course, you think about people who aren’t paid much money and who are probably struggling in their own lives and are affected. It’s what always sucks—the ripple effect of hate is awful. That’s what it often comes down to. You don’t want people who have nothing to do with it to suffer but people need to make a stand.”

On Jodie Foster recently tying the knot with her girlfriend Alexandra Hedison, Ellen commented, “I don’t really know Jodie but it’s so wonderful that she got married. That’s awesome. Hopefully, [gay marriage] will soon be recognized by the federal government.

As to how she envisions her own wedding, she said, “Something really chill. Probably small and intimate. And I’ll probably cry a lot because I’m totally a crier. I most look forward to thinking about little things like music, what you dance to, and stuff like that.”

She predicted that all the attention generated by the disclosure of her sexuality would soon die down. “It did just happen. I’m happy to talk about it because I want things to get better for everyone in the LGBT community and for those who understand love, but not all the forms it can take. Hopefully they will grow to accept our view of love, and who we are.”

Unaffected career

She maintained that coming out has not affected her career. “Not at all,” Ellen emphasized. Besides, she’s branching out into film producing—“two, maybe three, movies.”

She clarified, “I’d love to continue acting in the movies. I’ve also been really enjoying producing a movie right now called ‘Into the Forest’ which stars Evan Rachel Wood and myself. Patricia Rozema is directing. That has made me very happy. It’s a lot of work but I absolutely love it. I would love for that (producing) to become a bigger part of my job. I’ve been writing with someone and that’s been amazing too.”

Last year, it was also announced that Ellen would make her feature directing debut with “Miss Stevens,” which will star Anna Farris.

On the sexual abuse allegations against Bryan Singer, her “X-Men…” director, Ellen remarked, “It’s really not my place to make any comment on the accusations, which are very, very disturbing. The truth will come out in whatever way it does, eventually. Regardless of Bryan and that situation, it can be hard for young people in any place when people have power [over them]. There’s often abuse and manipulation. I do think that’s a systemic issue that is worth talking about.”

 Time travel

In this new “X-Men” movie, Ellen’s Kitty uses her power to send Wolverine’s (Hugh Jackman) consciousness back in time in order to save the mutant species from annihilation. She gushed at her experience sharing scenes with Hugh, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart.

“Sitting like this a lot, yeah, it was intense, shockingly so,” Ellen said. “I was in a room, watching Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart work together and spending my days with Hugh Jackman who is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my life. You couldn’t meet anyone more grounded, humble, kind, generous and sweet. It makes the day just really wonderful, quite frankly. He’s just a joy to be around. I just adore him.”

Of veterans Ian and Patrick, Ellen was equally enthusiastic in describing her experience working with the duo: “Just watching them work is absolutely inspiring. It makes you want to grow as an actor, learn more, keep pushing yourself because you’re watching these people who are just flawless, doing a monologue again and again and nailing every piece of it. You just sit there in awe. They inspire you to continue to grow.”

Ellen maintained that while she’s noted for her work in dramas, not big special effects-heavy movies like “X-Men,” she felt that this new one is different. “Despite the spectacle, effects and the fantasy of it all, I find the movie and what these characters are going through deeply human, relatable and quite frankly, very moving. As an actor, I feel very inspired. What’s made these films so successful and have had such longevity is that the spectacle meets the heart. And there’s a lot of heart and soul in this film. That’s how I respond to it.”

(E-mail the columnist at [email protected]. Follow him at https://twitter.com/nepalesruben.)