While an actor’s sexuality should have no bearing on the roles he or she can play, Ellen Page does, however, have a problem with straight actors being called “brave”; for playing LGBTQ characters.
In a new interview with Time, the Juno Oscar-nominee is asked about the prevailing Hollywood attitude that a straight actor is taking “a career risk”; by playing a gay or trans character.
“When people are [called] brave in regards to playing LGBTQ people, that’s borderline offensive,”; says the actress, who came out as openly gay in 2014. “I’m never going to be considered brave for playing a straight person, and nor should I be.”;
And while Ellen has played and will likely continue to play heterosexual characters, she admits she’s far more drawn to gay roles, such as her upcoming film Freehold, in which she and Julianne Moore play a real-life lesbian couple who battled the Supreme Court over their right to be married.
“It’s hard to say this, because the context of the film is so deeply tragic, but for me there was a deep sense of peace on set that I had not felt in a really long time, potentially since I was a teenager,”; she says. “There was something about being out, getting to play a gay character, and getting to play a woman who is so inspiring to me — it was such an amazing experience for me. Honestly, if I played gay characters for the rest of my career, I’d be thrilled. I wish I could, honestly.”;
Coming out of the closet, Ellen adds, has been a transformational experience that changed her life for the better. “The moment I came out, I felt every cell in my body transform,”; she marvels. “I was happier than I ever could have imagined.”;
