Here are some new photos of Ellen Page coming out of a gym in LA yesterday. I like the dude behind her who’s all, “Why’s this girl being photographed? Hey!” He’s actually kind of hot. Ellen only returned to LA a day or two ago – in addition to the stop at the Time of THRIVE conference over the weekend, Ellen has been doing reshoots on X-Men: Days of Future Past in Canada for a few weeks.
It’s been less than a week since Ellen came out officially at the Time to THRIVE conference in Las Vegas. Her announcement – in the midst of a speech about human rights – has been a topic of conversation all week on blogs, in newspapers and on cable news. You know what I like? I like that Ellen pretty much dropped the news and then stepped back, almost like she was expecting some major backlash. The backlash didn’t happen – most people tweeted her well-wishes and praise for coming out on her terms and for relating her coming out to a larger message of tolerance.
Ellen did retweet some praise and congratulations from some fellow actors (she retweeted fellow homosexual Patrick Stewart’s well-wishes), and after the outpouring of support, Ellen tweeted: “Just wanted to take a moment to say how moved I am by all the support. I feel profoundly grateful right now. Xxxx”.
Coming up next for Ellen… she’s going to be playing Julianne Moore’s lover in the comedy/drama Freeheld, based on a true story. Julianne plays a cop dying of cancer who wants to leave her pension benefits to her partner, played by Ellen. The police pension people won’t let that happen, and Julianne’s cop partner – a conservative man – takes up the cause of same-sex-partner rights. That sounds like a really good movie, right?
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
Come on…she’ll receive no backlash.
@Cecilia, Ellen Page feels ‘The Backlash’ most keenly in her restricted opportunities to EVER fully express herself again as The Artist she is.
She’s feeling that LOSS right now. For a True Artist that’s like a piece of their Soul Dies. It’s HUGE.
I understand, Sloane…I wasn’t looking at it from that angle — more just public backlash.
Cecilia – “I wasn’t looking at it from that angle — more just public backlash.”
I know you weren’t, but as you can see, I disagree about the equally large ‘public’ consequences for committing the ‘crime’ of coming out publicly. They will now follow Ellen Page for the rest of her life, just like any other Public Gay or even a Suspected Gay. – http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/manti-teo-jokes-letterman-fallon-413605
FLORC, Ellen P can Never Go Back IN the closet. The myriad (discounted by straights) consequences of even being Thought Gay will never end for her now or for any Public Gay, or for that matter any Suspect Gay. I Guarantee you it started within seconds after her courageous Spirit speech.
Ellen is now forever the butt of Late Night Comedians, suffering the whispers and ridicule trailing after her when she simply just walks thru a room, having to hire Bodyguard(s) to protect her safety for all the errands she used to do on her own, and never again enjoying all the Privilege of Sexual Ambiguity.
“Artist” She’s an actress not Banksy
No public backlash. The career backlash will come though. Happy to see she will be playing a lesbian in her next movie with Julianne Moore. Watch she will received no credit for that role no matter how good she is because she has now come out as gay. Only straight actors get credit for playing gay or transgendered.
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think it’ll be much. She’s only taken specific roles before. Little indie, little artsy. She has a foothole in x-men. It’s not like he was a romcom actress that isn’t believable as a leading hetero lady. She will be just fine with minimal backlash.
And in the end, if she’s a good enough actress people will want her in their movies regardless of her personal life.
@Nikki, ITA.
For everyone who questions the ‘Public’ impact of coming out in such an accepting climate, she is now, IN ALL QUARTERS OF OUR SOCIETY, delegated to the trash heap. Period.
As an out lesbian, Ellen P. is now assigned the female Rupert Everett roles. We will never see Ellen Page in another Heterosexual Romantic Lead Actress part like Juno again – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/16/middlebrow-ellen-page_n_4799963.html
“she retweeted fellow homosexual Patrick Stewart’s well-wishes”
LOL
Patrick Stewart is not gay, gay friendly yes. He is close friends with Ian McKellan who is gay. Sir Ian presided over Patrick Stewart’s marriage to a woman.
I think you need to read the linked post. It’s a joke.
Seán and Illyra — “I think you need to read the linked post. It’s a joke.”
We KNOW. See my reply (#1) to Cecilia and FlORC.
I wasn’t expecting there to be any direct backlash. I think the real test will be whether she continues to receive the same kind and quality of offers as she did before.
@lunchcoma, Eggsactly!
ITA. See #1.
Inception and Hard Candy apart from that it was just hipster stuff
I never really followed her career or anything but watching her during that speech was so moving.
There’s a special place in hell for anyone that scorns, mocks or belittles her after that kind of bravery. She looked terrified.
Such a wonderful speech. Poor girl was shaking all through it. Horrible that we live in a society where one has to be scared to make such an announcement.
JaDeRu, I’m really sad to see er’body here belittling the real Red Badge of Courage it took for Ellen Page To Come out.
“There’s a special place in hell for anyone that scorns, mocks or belittles her after that kind of bravery. She looked terrified.” That tiny little girl was shaking like a leaf!
No offense, but what’s with all the melodrama? She came out as gay. “The real Red Badge of Courage”?? Gawd. This is 2014. It’s not 1954. I know no one who is shocked by her revelation; most already assumed she was out. The rest say “Ellen who?” It’s an admission of sexual preference. It ain’t Hemingway.
LaurieH, if you read the comments regularly, you will see that *certain people* are given to extreme hyperbole.
Oh I think the dude in the picture left the gym at the same time as EP just so he could get papped. Busted!
As for the movie Freeheld….ahhh, does not sound that great to me. Is it on Lifetime?
@Jackson
you sound like my husband whenever I would wath that channel and whatever the show was he would yell out “give me back my baby” as those where the only sort of shows they seemed to have on.
NO backlash, her career will flourish I hope as she is so cute and a good actress. I love Julianne too and it does sound like a good movie.
Yep can’t wait to see it!
I spy her LolaWolf hat – that’s Zoe Kravitz’s band – Drake also has been seen wearing the hats…
No and she shouldn’t get any.
I don’t see her receiving any backlash, she’s just so likable. Plus, even though her speech was moving I don’t think it shocked a lot of people. No one holds their secrets as well as they think they do.
I would hope she wouldn’t get any backlash. She’s already done a bunch of roles where she’s clearly playing straight women (Juno, Whip It, Super all come to mind). Frankly, it’s surprising how real sexuality seems to impact sexuality on the screen. It’s acting, it’s not real. Neil Patrick Harris and Matt Bomer seem to get along just fine playing it straight on TV. Eventually, we’ll reach a point where sexuality is no big deal at all and a backlash would be so besides the point. Let Ellen Page be.
I hope she won’t but some people won’t watch her.
I had a coworker who wouldn’t watch HIMYM because Neil Patrick Harris plays a womanizer and “He’s gay. It’s so unbelievable.”
What a moron. I think NPH is very funny on the show and I’ve no problem with him taking whatever role he wants.
Matt and NPH were already in the roles before they came out.Page career may suffer when it comes to upcoming roles.Its like Sean Hayes when he played a straight character after he came out.Seeing him play straight is.unbelievable.I cant take NPH serious either.Seeing him make out on his show is weird.
As for Ellen since she is not a romantic lead type actress so it may not hurt her career.
Seems @SirPatStew received the brunt of any backlash by being declared homosexual by The Guardian.
Actually, I didn’t it was possible to love Patrick Stewart more when all of that went down. Handled it with humor & grace, it made him even more endearing.
I am LOLing at the guy behind her-he’s all”Hee-eey”. And I agree-hot.
I agree with the others-not so much public backlash-A. Most people have assumed that she was gay for a while, so it wasn’t a big shock and B. I think most of her typical audience (younger) wouldn’t give a damn anyway. Career-wise, time will tell. I hope not-she’s a talented actress.
I don’t think she’ll get any backlash (besides career wise) because everyone always assumed she was a lesbian and wasn’t bothered by it. She seems like such a sweet girl and it would really suck if she was penalized because she came out.
Julianne Moore always plays gay for pay so well. The only time I have thought Amanda Seyfriend hot is in Chloe when she is bedding Julianne Moore. Can’t wait to see Julianne Moore and Ellen Page on screen together, though I would have never put those two together.
She’ll be fine. First of all, she’s not a “romantic lead”. Second, She’s a woman, and let’s face it, thanks to pr0n, they have that whole girl on girl thing that a lot of guys find hot. So to a degree, for guys they just assume that a woman can play both roles.
Now, a gay guy? Different story. For HWood’s bigshots, the only place for a gay actor is with other gay actors. They can only be in dramas, or play the husband in a heterossexual couple if the sex is implied. They can’t be action heroes either, because action heroes are supposed to be all “heterossexual macho guy”. Sad but true.
@CC, Really?
“She’ll be fine. First of all, she’s not a “romantic lead”. What do you call Ellen Page in Juno? Nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467406/awards
This is Costing Her. She’s not fine, and neither is anyone who’s perceived as gay. They get their Straight Privilege Merit Badge ripped off their sleeve immediately.
Yawn. Narcissists always imagine that we live to find out all about them. I couldn’t care less about someone’s sexual preferences.
This is the most frustrating attitude. Do people not understand that in most states, LGBT people can still be fired without cause because of their sexuality or gender identity? That in more than half of the United States, it is illegal to get married are share benefits with your partner? If you have never felt the hot anger of walking down the street with your spouse and not being able to hold their hand because of legitimate fear for your own safety, you don’t get to decide whether it matters for Ellen Page or anyone else to come out. Congratulations for not being an overt homophobe, but saying you don’t care isn’t helpful or enlightened. It implies that the fight is over, and that just isn’t true. Every time a celebrity comes out in public, whether by announcing it in a speech or simply mentioning their partner in passing, I feel a little more safe. Eventually, I hope to be able to kiss my wife at new year’s when we’re out in central Florida visiting my mother. Until that day comes, it still matters. And you calling her a narcissist is just proof that you don’t get it. Besides, if that’s your attitude and you don’t want to know about anyone’s personal life, why are you on a gossip site?
@lee I wish I could thumbs up your comment. Nicely said.
WOW. Ellen’s a Narcissist, always imagining “that we live to find out all about them. I couldn’t care less about someone’s sexual preferences.” – DrFunkenstein.
Crazy amirite? The progressives that are finding this touching and emotional are stupid not to realize that they’re falling into the trap of a really big publicity stunt. – http://clashdaily.com/2014/02/work-ellen-page-famous-yet/#QkCSEYUFQqlAOEMa.99 *end sarcasm font*
http://www.reddit.com/r/rage/comments/1xzcgl/not_everybody_was_happy_for_ellen_pages/
Lee, you say it so much better. Thank you!!
Dr. Funkenstein, maybe you don’t mean how you sound?
Thanks Megshere and Sloane!
And Sloane, as a fellow queer lady, I don’t know if you read Autostraddle, but they’ve had some pretty great responses to this type of attitude that you may appreciate:
1. From 2012; A queer theory response to Anderson Cooper’s coming out
http://www.autostraddle.com/people-in-glass-closets-anderson-cooper-and-straight-responses-to-coming-out-140687/
2. A Tale of Two Ellens
http://www.autostraddle.com/a-tale-of-two-ellens-224185/
Let me start this comment with a round applause to Ellen and her courage to make that brave action and help others. In a fair world, she and her career would be fine.
I think the real proof will be next, but otherwise, I’m starting to think that her career in any case was on the edge of having a stuck with or without coming out. First, I know this part will sound terrible, but I keep the idea as “Hollywood” mind. Page is a petite woman with no clear prototype of “classic beauty” according to Hollywood canons, also we can add her tomboy look to the equation. In that sense, her physical image is, unfortunally, an obstacle for searching the biggest female roles among the 24-34 years old actresses.
Second, her brand name is small and limited, Juno happened in 2007, her role in X-Men is small and Inception was overshadowed by some of her co-stars. Most of her post-Oscar career was “disappointed” in terms of prior expectations: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ellen_page/
Also, I don’t believe completely that Page is picky to select the roles -As many fans want to believe- especially when you see that some of the closest competition -Jennifer Lawrence, Carey Mulligan, Rooney Mara, Léa Seydoux, Emma Stone, Anna Kendrick and now we can add Margot Robbie on the list- advanced her not only in big/medium studio productions but also in indie acclaimed films and even auteurs references.
Unfortunally I agree with some posters that coming out can be a potential threat for her career, but at the end, it will be another obstacle with all the points mentioned before imo.