In his illustrious Hollywood career spanning more than two decades, while Elliot Page has been a part of some incredibly popular films and shows, Christopher Nolan’s Inception remains one of his most notable works, if not the best.
Ironically enough, his time in the science fiction venture turned out to be perhaps one of the most stressful experiences he’d endured on any set. And the men comprising the star cast certainly played a part in Page’s discomfort, or at least indirectly they did.
Elliot Page Found Himself Anxious on the Set of Inception
Christopher Nolan’s Inception is one of his biggest blockbuster projects ever, bagging four Academy Awards and a legion of other accolades. A cinematic masterpiece, the WB production went on to garner rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. And while much of its glorious success is obviously thanks to Nolan’s impeccable direction and sensational storyline, the ensemble cast is just as deserving of that credit.
With A-listers, the likes of which included, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, and Elliot Page, the film easily managed to sweep the audience off their feet. But while the star cast evoked a sense of thrill and excitement in fans, it only created a spark of discomfort for Page, 36, who found it disconcerting to be around a room full of cis men.
“In a cast full of cis men, I did not understand the role I found myself in.”
While The Umbrella Academy star would come out as a trans man a decade later, back then he was still trying to navigate the tumult surrounding his personal life and identity. So, despite his co-stars being “delightful” to work with, the Oscar nominee who played Ariadne in Inception, found himself unnerved and “out of place.” And his stress aggravated so much that it ultimately manifested physically in the form of shingles, a viral infection that results in a nasty rash.
“Shingles popped out of my spine while filming ‘Inception’ when I was twenty-two,” Page wrote in his newly-released memoir titled Pageboy. “Despite everyone being delightful to work with, I felt out of place,” he recalled.
He Endured Mental Torment & Acute Physical Discomfort
Things seemed so unsalvagable to Page, that he believed Pirates of the Caribbean star Keira Knightley would end up replacing him instead. “For the first two weeks of the film I joked I would be recast with Keira Knightley, and rightfully so,” he added.
Not only was the Juno star muddled by the stress of trying to come to terms with his gender and identity, but he was also under immense pressure owing to keeping his sexuality a secret. “I was not settled,” he continued. “I still felt out of place, stirring up the dust. A pinball of projection, I internalized the chaos. It left me feeling bereft of hope.”
Page underwent a gender transition and publicly came out as a trans man in December 2020.
Inception is available for streaming on Netflix.
