After many years of ‘lying by omission’, the ‘Juno’ actress Ellen Page’ has revealed she is a lesbian.
The Canadian born star, best known for her role in “Juno”, “Inception” and the upcoming feature film “X-Men Days of Future Past” made the announcement on Friday as part of a speech at the “Time to Thrive” conference.
The conference was an LGBT (lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual) geared towards youths. “I’m here today because I’m gay, and maybe I can make a difference to help others have an easier and more hopeful time,” said Page.
The actress felt she had a personal obligation and a responsibilty to speak out on the issues surrounding LGBT youth. But, she commented that her sexuality weighed heavily on her and her career while in Hollywood. “I also do it selfishly, because I am tired of hiding and I am tired of lying by omission. I suffered for years because I was scared to be out. My spirit suffered, my mental health suffered and my relationships suffered.”
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the actress first shared her inner distress following her Hollywood success of the 2007 “Juno”. Since then, Page says the movie industry’s standards of beauty and success have affected not only herself, but young people everywhere.
“You have ideas planted in your head, thoughts you never had before, that tell you how you have to act, how you have to dress and who you have to be. I have been trying to push back, to be authentic, to follow my heart, but it can be hard.”
Many of Page’s Hollywood co-workers applauded Page’s bravery for coming out. Kate Mara, Anna Kendrick and Jesse Tyler Ferguson tweeted at the actress to show their support.
Ellen Page will start in “Freehand” with Julianne Moore and Zach Galifianakis. The documentary centers around a gay couple who’ve had their pension benefits frozen after it’s revealed one of them has terminal illness according to its IMDB page.
