There's been a lot of talk in our society recently about what actions qualify as brave. One thing that out actress Ellen Page does not consider to be on the list is an actor taking on an
LGBTQ role.
"When people are [called] brave in regards to playing LGBTQ people,"
she told Time Magazine, "that's borderline offensive. I'm never going to be considered brave for playing a straight person, and nor should I be."
Her comment certainly strikes a chord. In this day and age, with the growing diversity of queer characters being portrayed in the media and increasing acceptance of LGBTQ people, for an actor to portray a queer character is no longer a momentous event. As Page points out, her role in her passion project Freeheld (Page produced the film) isn't the risky career move it might once have been. "People want diversity. They want it. Whether they consciously know it or not."
Set to be released on October 2nd,
Freeheld tells the story of Laurel Hester (played by Julianne Moore), a New Jersey police officer who fights to get pension benefits for her partner Stacie Andree (played by Page) after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. The full-length film has been in the works for several years, and working on it is
part of what helped Ellen Page to finally come out.
Page additionally told Time, "Honestly, if I played gay characters for the rest of my career, I'd be thrilled." Sign us up, Hollywood! We will watch all those films.
