Elliot Page undressed in front of a camera and decided not to hide the scars that had been part of one of the most important chapters of his life for years. The actor appears shirtless on the cover of the first issue of New York Magazine dedicated to men’s style, leaving the marks from his gender-affirming surgery completely visible.
The image, captured by Ryan McGinley at one of Manhattan’s historic bathhouses, comes after Page acknowledged that his transition also changed the way Hollywood sees him: “I find it a little difficult to get roles right now”. But far from speaking of regret, the actor says he now feels much more connected to himself when he is in front of a camera.
And that difference is also reflected in his work. Returning to the set with Christopher Nolan for The Odyssey, more than 15 years after Inception, Page felt he could act from a completely different place: “I feel like I could do some of my best work now”. His new cover ends up being much more than a photo shoot: it’s the image of an actor showing a body he no longer feels he has to hide.