Ellen Page Wants to Keep Playing Lesbians Forever

Ellen Page would be "thrilled" to only play gay for the rest of her career. In a recent interview, the actress, producer, and director said that she's not afraid of being typecast. In fact, she embraces it.

At a Toronto International Film Festival panel on Monday, a reporter asked Page if she felt like she was being pigeonholed into gay roles. "You would never ask a heterosexual actress that, as being typecast as straight," she replied.

"Why would I not want to play those roles," the actress added. "Quite frankly, I would be thrilled if it's every role I ever played again!"

When Page came out as a lesbian five years ago, most queer lead roles were still being played by straight actors. Performers like Sean Penn, Jared Leto, and Rami Malek have been winning Oscars for playing LGBTQ+ characters for decades, while out queer actors still struggle to get any roles -- gay or straight.

Since coming out, Page has played a lesbian in the dramaFreeheld, a pansexual novelist in the Netflix series Tales of the City, a queer woman in My Days of Mercy, and has said that she thinks her character in Juno grew up to be gay.

"Do you think Juno eventually grew up to be a lesbian?" Out's own Rose Dommu asked her this summer. "Yeah. Yes. So many of my characters, quite frankly," the actress replied.

Page was being interviewed about her film There's Something in the Water, a documentary she directed on the environmental racism going on in her native Nova Scotia. She highlights how Black and Indigenous communities are being subjected to dumps and paper mills that are ruining their water sources, leading to skyrocketing cancer rates and premature death.

Page is one of the most talented and tenacious actors working in Hollywood today. She knows how to bring gravitas and humor to her roles, especially queer ones. Seeing someone live their truth on such a big stage and embrace who they are can have a big impact on LGBTQ+ audiences.

I think I speak for queer viewers across America when I say that I hope Ellen Page only plays queer roles forever. We need her.

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