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Elliot Page opens up about "painful" secret relationship with a closeted co-star

2 June 2023, 17:43

Elliot Page calls out people’s obsession with the gender binary

By Woodrow Whyte

"Some of my closest friends didn't even know I was in a relationship."

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Elliot Page has opened up about a secret relationship he had with an unnamed co-star, and a previously unknown relationship with the actor Kate Mara.

The Umbrella Academy actor, who came out as gay in 2014 and then as trans in December 2020, has been steadily sharing his gender journey with fans on social media for the past couple of years.

Later this month, Elliot will release his first memoir, Page Boy, and has shared exclusive extracts with People Magazine which reveal details about the struggles he has faced in his personal life.

In an extract published in People Magazine, Elliot reveals the extent of the secret relationship and the toll it took on him. It reads:

"Page acknowledges the person he calls “Ryan” worked with him in a movie, and describes secretly holding hands on set, but pretending to be friends elsewhere in public. He says they were trailed by paparazzi, would leave hotels from different doors, and not look at each other in public. Or at parties. "Some of my friends didn’t even know I was in a relationship."

“Ultimately, I do think she loved me. We loved each other and that was very real in our bubble. It was fantastic. You know, it was really beautiful. I admired about her and how she inspired me in many ways. But feeling hidden was far too painful. That was impossible and not a sustainable relationship at all. And it taught me that I was not gonna do that again.”

Page realizes that a hidden relationship between two LGBTQ+ costars might sound a bit 1950s, that many might ask, "Oh, that thing still goes on today?"

“Hell yeah, it does,” he says.

“Some of my closest friends didn't even know I was in a relationship. And I was in a relationship where we were in a relationship for a decent amount of time. I mean, that is next level.”

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Elsewhere in the People article, Elliot reveals his admiration for Michael Cera, his friendships with Catherine Keener, Kristen Wiig, and Alia Shawkat, and another relationship with actress Kate Mara.

Speaking of their relationship, Elliot said: "She had a boyfriend at the time, the lovely and talented Max Minghella.

"This was right after I’d come out as gay and it was a time of exploration and also heartbreak. I think my relationship, or whatever you want to call it with Kate, very much encapsulates a certain dynamic that I consistently found myself in, which was falling for people that — I think a lot of us do this — who aren't fully available."

Page says he and Mara are still close: "I think the love and care that we have for each other is it's very own special thing. Separate from the intimacy that I write about."

Pageboy will be available to purchase from all major retailers on June 6th, 2023. You can pre-order the book now via this link.