Content Warning: The following content discusses/contains hostile attitudes, discrimination, and/or slurs targeting transgender people. Please proceed with caution.
Elliot Page is excited about his reunion with Christopher Nolan. After their 2010 collaboration on “Inception”, the actor is back working with Nolan in the latter’s ambitious adaptation of Homer’s “The Odyssey”, which is set for release this summer.
After unverified claims saying Page is playing the legendary warrior Achilles, a barrage of transphobic comments surfaced on social media platforms. And even the world’s richest man joined in.
Here’s why Elliot Page’s role as Achilles in The Odyssey sparked online hate
“The most famous warrior in all of history, not just Greek history, Achilles, is about to be played by a transgender woman in a brand new movie,” American TV host Rob Finnerty said last month. He also deadnamed and misgendered him repeatedly.
The 2-hour, 52-minute movie, filmed with groundbreaking IMAX techniques, features Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson and Lupita Nyong’o, among others.
Page, who came out as transgender man in 2020, likely plays a smaller role. But that did not stop the flurry of hostile remarks. A social media user posted a photo showing a man dressed as Achilles with a jar of pickles in his hand. The caption evidently mocks Page’s physical strength, saying: “Achilles, I challenge you to open this pickle jar.” To this, Elon Musk replied: “Banger.”
Musk also liked, replied to, and reposted content that targeted Page’s gender identity and physical appearance, helping legitimize and mainstreamize those attacks.
The discourse quickly escalated into broader culture-war territory. “Elliot Page isn’t so much Achilles as she’s like Pinocchio, hoping to become a ‘real boy’ someday,” wrote right-wing commentator Tim Graham.
Critics of the ridicule that Page faced have argued the outrage reflects lingering transphobia and resistance to diverse representation.
ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT ELLIOT PAGE’S ROLE?
Originally reported by Sreemanti Sengupta for Mandatory
