Gay film role persuaded Ellen Page to come out in real life

Ellen Page has said it was her new movie with Julianne Moore that made her decide to tell the world she is gay.

Freeheld, the casting for which was announced just weeks before the 28-year-old emotionally came out at a Human Rights Campaign event in February 2014, is based on the true story of a terminally ill police officer fighting to make sure her partner receives survivor pension benefits.

“I remember thinking, ‘Ellen, how in God’s name could you make this film and not be out?'” Page told Out Magazine.

“What’s interesting to me is how long it took to make the movie — for it to finally come together — and how my internal progression toward coming out was naturally in line with it.

“Stacie and Laurel’s story is incredibly inspiring and did take a lot of courage, particularly in a time of such unimaginable difficulty.

“It really did make me go, ‘Dude, just tell people you’re gay. Just get over yourself, honestly, and support those who are not as privileged’. It’s like, ‘You have fucking privilege, so do something with it’.”

The Juno star also admitted that she found a lot in the part that resonated with her own experiences. “For me, lots of stuff surfaced [playing Stacie]. Recreating a sort of closeted relationship in a film caused some stuff to surface, for sure,” she said.

Ellen has been hitting headlines a lot over the past month: she was hailed for attending the inaugral Pride Jamaica in a country where tolerance still has a long way to go, and at a state fair she confronted presidential candidate Ted Cruz over LGBT+ issues.

She also took aim at those who call straight actors “brave” for playing gay roles; pointing out that the same would never be said for her if she were to play a heterosexual character.

Freeheld is out in the US on October 2, with a UK date still pending.