Actor Elliot Page will soon be back on screen for the first time since his transition. His new film “Close To You” just premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Page also served as co-producer and contributed to the script. Many of the scenes were improvised.
The story has parallels to Page’s personal life, as the 36-year-old plays a trans man in the film who struggles to accept his identity. The first film role after his transition and coming out in 2020 is a very special one for Page. “For me personally, that was the absolute highlight of my career,” the actor enthused in an interview with the US magazine “People”.
Director Dominic Savage’s way of working and the experience of making a film like this is something he “hasn’t experienced before”: “I’m grateful to be a part of this work and hope to be able to do it again.” In the third season of the Netflix series “Umbrella Academy”, Page was already seen as a man; the series also discussed his character’s transition. However, his last film role was in “Flatliners” in 2017. Most recently he published his autobiography “Pageboy”.
In “Close To You,” Page plays the transgender man Sam, who returns to his hometown for the first time after his transition and meets his family and an old friend (Hillary Baack). “The film is a lot about connections, about what it means to be human, to be seen,” Page told Reuters.
Making the film was “liberating” for him, he told Entertainment Weekly. A scene in which he sleeps shirtless has special meaning for Page. “Playing this guy who feels comfortable and present and waking up in his body — that meant a lot to me,” he said. “I never thought I would feel like this.” It is still unclear when the independent production will be released in cinemas.
Sources: “People” / Reuters / Elliot Page on Instagram / “Entertainment Weekly”
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