Award-winning actor Elliot Page talks incorporating his trans experience into season three of Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy.
Elliot Page has opened up about his adapted role in Netflix’s hit series The Umbrella Academy. The actor’s character, formerly known as Vanya Hargreeves, will now be known as Victor aka Number Seven.
Speaking to American TV host Seth Meyers, The Umbrella Academy star shares how his personal experience with transitioning has been interwoven into the show’s new season.
“With Steve Blackman, the showrunner of Umbrella,” Elliot begins, “When we first talked about it he seemed really excited about incorporating it into the show.”
Steve and Netflix ensured the rewriting of Elliot’s character was authentic and genuine as possible. To do this, author Thomas Page McBee was brought on board to help with the process. Elliot met the journalist while filming a mini-series titled Tales Of The City.
“He wrote an extraordinary book called Amateur, which I highly recommend everybody to read. He was the first trans man to box in Madison Square Garden,” he explained. “And his book and his work in general are so much about masculinity and what it means and exploring that. Thomas came on board and helped out and I feel proud of it and excited for people to see it.”
"[Thomas’] book and his work in general are so much about masculinity and what it means and exploring that,” Elliot continued. “So Thomas came on board and helped out, and I feel proud of it and excited for people to see.”
In March, Viktor Hargreeves was officially announced to the world, ahead of the third season of the superhero show.
In December 2020, the Juno star came out as trans in a detailed social media most. “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,” Elliot posted online.
The actor explained to Seth Meyers how coming out as trans has improved his life and capability as an actor.
“That’s obviously a big component and part of my life and a beautiful thing to experience now,” he said. “A lot of the time, my life was just trying to move forward, and so getting to embrace the experience as much as I get to now… it’s made me better in so many facets.”
Netflix’s adaptation of The Umbrella Academy is based on a comics series created and written by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way.
You can watch Elliot Page's interview with Seth Meyers below:
Season three of The Umbrella Academy is out now on Netflix.
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