Umbrella Academy: Elliot Page on Viktor’s Transition

In a June 25 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Elliot Web page praised how the third season of “The Umbrella Academy” dealt with his transition and the way it portrayed their character’s transition within the context of the bigger story.

Web page got here out as trans in December 2020, between the discharge of the second season of the present and the filming of its third season. The minds behind “The Umbrella Academy” subsequently integrated the transition into the present for Web page’s character, sharing the information on March 29.

“Meet Viktor Hargreeves,” Web page wrote on Instagram with a nonetheless from “The Umbrella Academy” that includes Viktor and his sister, Allison Hargreeves (Emmy Raver-Lampman), sitting on the bar in a diner. Netflix later confirmed to The A.V. Membership that in season three of the present, Viktor would come out as transgender.

Within the June 25 interview, Web page had solely optimistic issues to say about the way in which their character’s story arc was handled on the present, which was launched on Netflix on June 22. “I feel one of the vital particular issues about that is the way it’s dealt with,” he stated. “It isn’t void of emotional moments with the siblings, in fact.”

For Web page, portraying their transition on display screen whereas he was additionally experiencing it in the true world was a robust expertise. “The scene when Luther and Diego are coming down the steps and Luther’s awkwardness and all these items . . . concurrently, I am experiencing all that, as a result of I’ve stepped into this second the place I am a trans particular person and perceived that approach, and having all these new experiences I did not have earlier than,” Web page stated. “These scenes have been resonating with that, which was actually unbelievable.”

Additionally they talked about how supported he felt by the present’s solid and crew. “We have been capturing proper after I disclosed that I am trans, in complete isolation,” they stated. “That was positively an amazing interval, however I really feel so fortunate that I used to be going to work and attending to be with so many supportive folks.”

On June 21, Web page advised Seth Meyers that his life has improved considerably since transitioning. “I really feel a approach that I actually by no means thought potential for an extended, very long time, in order that’s actually what I am specializing in and embracing probably the most,” they stated. “[Transitioning has] improved my life drastically, and I hope individuals who do have a problem with me may attempt to hear that and embrace that on some degree.”

On June 1, author Thomas Web page McBee opened as much as Esquire about how he and “The Umbrella Academy” showrunner Steve Blackman integrated this plot line into season three of the present. In keeping with McBee, Blackman was “passionate” about together with Web page’s transition within the present, however once they made his announcement, they have been set to start manufacturing in two weeks, and scripts have been already locked in. They’d a severe time crunch to take care of.

“As a result of Elliot was returning to the display screen in a longtime function and with a totally fleshed-out character arc that intersected with each side of the present, his story required that his transness exist as a texture, not a defining character trait,” McBee stated. The opposite difficulty was that season three begins instantly after the tip of season two: “His turning into would wish to occur throughout the first episodes, and with out the hand-holding normally supplied for cisgender audiences.”

In the end, nevertheless, this led to a richer storyline. “On this story, being trans is a context, a coming into focus, a sharpening of perspective that can solely deepen the connection tens of millions of viewers already must Viktor and his household,” McBee stated.

For Blackman, portraying Viktor’s transition effectively however not making it the defining attribute of his story or the present have been each paramount. “What I assumed was good is that it did not turn out to be the storyline of the present, and with these pretty folks that you simply’re speaking to, we have been capable of craft one thing that felt very balanced and actual, genuine,” he stated within the June 25 interview. “We need to proceed to do this going ahead.”

Within the third season of “The Umbrella Academy,” the Hargreeves journey by means of an alternate universe, assembly the unfriendly Sparrows, coping with private struggles, and combating a cosmically damaging entity alongside the way in which.