[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Elliot Page claims he was “groomed” as a teenager.
One week after the Juno actor’s tell-all memoir, Pageboy, was released, fans are still uncovering shocking truths from Elliot’s history in Hollywood — and the latest is that the actor apparently fell victim to groomers on set when he was just a teen.
Related: Elliot Hooked Up With Juno Co-Star ‘All The Time’ While Filming
In one section of the book, the X-Men: Days of Future Past actor wrote about a time as a teenager in Canada when a director made an unsettling gesture to the actor while dining “at Swan on Queen West,” according to Insider. Elliot didn’t reveal the name of the director, but remembered exactly that as they dined, the director told him, “you have to make the move, I can’t,” before “stroking [Elliot’s] thigh under the table.”
Eww what a creep. It truly never ceases to amaze us hearing about how predatory some powerful figures in Hollywood are. Poor Elliot.
Elsewhere in the book, in a chapter titled Leeches, the Inception star recalled other instances of inappropriate sexual encounters with adults when he was just a teen, remembering “on a project not long before” the encounter with the director, “a crew member had done the same.” Elliot wrote:
“In between takes he would talk to me about art and films, [Stanley] Kubrick naturally. He invited me to hang out on a Saturday afternoon. After a walk in the rain he grabbed me, asserting we go upstairs. Pulling me in to his body, I could feel his hard c**k against me.”
Whoa, WTF! That’s pretty insane. Mind you, Elliot wasn’t even 20 years old yet at the time!
In a third shocking retelling, The Umbrella Academy star recalled a time while shooting 2005’s Hard Candy, when he was just 17, where he had sexual relations with an unnamed man from set who has since gone on to become a director:
“He was funny and strange, and he was kind to me. We spoke about books, discussed films and obscure, depressing graphic novels. A glint in his eyes made me feel seen, supported. He had a sweetness even.”
Elliot recalled after a wrap party for the film, the man drove him back to the Gaycation star’s apartment, where he guided Page to the bedroom with “his hands on my shoulders.” He remembered:
“He laid me down on the bed. Starting to remove my pants, he said, ‘I want to eat you out.’ I froze. After it was over, he tried to stay in the bed with me. I had thawed marginally and told him he couldn’t, to get out. He slept on the couch.”
Related: Elliot Details Terrifying Transphobic Attack In Los Angeles
What a traumatizing experience. These Hollywood men are sick… And apparently women, too!
Elliot also wrote about a female crew member that assaulted him on multiple occasions while working on a film, and the Whip It star believes it was because his confusing sexual identity in adolescence made him an easy target:
“As puberty transmuted me into a character I had no interest in playing, my isolation, insecurity, and unknowing grew. I desperately needed to anchor myself. In new cities, with no friends, alone in hotel rooms, it was not hard for someone to prey. I’m sure they sense that.”
What truly disheartening stories. We’re so proud of Elliot for fighting on and telling his truth. What are YOUR thoughts, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments down below.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.
[Images via The View & Fox Searchlight Pictures/YouTube]
