Elliot Page talks about his first shirtless scene since he began his gender transition

“ It means a lot to me “. Currently at the Toronto International Festival, Elliot Page is making his return to cinema. The actor is the protagonist of the feature film Close to youin theaters September 10, his first feature film since coming out as trans.

“ When we improvise this kind of thing we do it instinctively »

And this film has a special meaning for Elliot Page. It opens with a scene in which his character is shirtless, a sequence completely improvised by the actor, he confided in an interview with Entertainment weekly and noticed by Huffington Post : “ On the day of filming I got out of bed and got dressed, I had a bit of confusion in my head. I thought, “Oh, it would be great if he slept shirtless.” When we improvise this kind of thing we do it instinctively. I can’t describe it, it was natural. »

A scene he describes as “ liberating », and as the culminating moment of his career. Because until now he had never felt so comfortable in the shoes of a character.

“ Showing this guy being comfortable and present and waking up in his body means a lot to me. I never thought I would feel this wayso it’s nice to be able to interpret it”

Elliot Page.

Read also: His body, his transition… Elliot Page announces Pageboy, his memoir soon in bookstores

Directed by Domenico Selvaggio, Close to you tells the story of Sam, a transgender man who returns to his childhood town for a family reunion. A role chosen not by chance for the actor, which allowed him to finally feel “safe”: “The way I feel about working now is much more embodied. This is a huge change. Doing something like this, a complete improvisation, would have been almost impossible before. »