Elliot Page Reveals How A Studio Forced Him To Wear A Dress
Elliot Page, who came out as transgender in 2020, revealed that "Juno" movie studio named Fox Searchlight forced him to wear a dress on the red carpet while he wanted to wear a suit. "Juno" was a romantic drama released in 2007.
The actor had not come out yet when "Juno" premiered. Page, 35, noted that working in Canada is different compared to America as he gets to dress the way he wanted. However, it is not the same in America, especially when it comes to "pivotal moments" like attending a film festival and walking a red carpet.
"I think of times when people actively were like, 'No, you need to wear a dress' in very, very, very pivotal moments," Page told Esquire in an article published Wednesday. "I remember the premiere of Juno at the Toronto International Film Festival."
"Previously, doing press for Hard Candy, or when I went to Sundance for a film, I didn’t know the concept of, like, a stylist," he added. "I grew up working in Canada! It’s different. I dressed how I wanted to dress—not dissimilar to now."
He explained how studios in America have a "degree of expectation of how fancy someone is supposed to look" during the events.
Page went on to share how he told Fox Searchlight studio that he wanted to wear a suit but they replied, "No, you need to wear a dress." The actor further shared he was taken to a fancy store on Bloor Street and was made to wear a dress.
"And then all the Juno press, all the photo shoots—Michael Cera was in slacks and sneakers. I look back at the photos, and I’m like . . .? And it’s easy for people to roll their eyes, but you know what? No," he continued. "That was really extremely, extremely f--ked up."
Page explained that regardless of him being a transgender, he shouldn't have been treated like this.
"I’ve had people who’ve apologized about things: 'Sorry, I didn’t know, I didn’t know at the time.' It doesn’t matter! It doesn’t matter if I’m trans or cis," he concluded. "Lots of cis women dress how I dress. That has nothing to f--cking do with it."
On the work front, Page will be next seen in a movie, "Robodog," which is under post-production. He will also lend his voice to an animated movie, "Naya Legend of the Golden Dolphin," which is slated to release next year.
Photo: Bruce Glikas/Getty Images