Elliot Page is ready for the next chapter of his acting career, but Hollywood has not yet given him a clear signal that it is ready for him. After playing Sinon in Christopher Nolan’s epic retelling of Homer’s The Odyssey, Page has found himself in an unexpected position. The film has dominated the global box office, yet the actor says no new project has come his way since production wrapped. That reality has prompted him to reflect deeply on where he stands in the industry today.
During a recent appearance on the On Film... With Kevin McCarthy podcast, the 39-year-old actor spoke candidly about the difficulty of finding his next role after such a massive production. “If someone wants to call me, I know I get some pushback for being Canadian,” Page said. “I don't know what it's about.” The comment was both playful and revealing, capturing the uncertainty that can follow actors even after they appear in some of the biggest films of their generation.
Elliot Page on facing challenges to land new acting projects
Page did not offer specific details about auditions or offers, but made clear that the expected wave of post-The Odyssey opportunities has not materialized. For an actor who has been working steadily since childhood, the gap has been noticeable. The role of Sinon is not the central part of the film, but it is a pivotal one within the sprawling epic. In the classical myth, Sinon is the Greek soldier who persuades the Trojans to bring the wooden horse inside their city walls, a decision that ultimately leads to Troy’s downfall. Page’s portrayal placed him inside a star-studded ensemble, alongside Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron.
The fact that Page has not secured another role since wrapping the film suggests a paradox that many working actors experience. A high-profile project can create visibility, but it does not always translate into immediate momentum. Casting is a complex ecosystem of timing, type, relationships, and perceived marketability. For Page, there may also be another factor: the actor is now living openly and publicly as a trans man, and the roles Hollywood offers may not yet reflect that reality.
Reflecting on the past: Juno and Inception
In the same podcast conversation, Page looked back on two of the most defining films of his career and described two very different personal experiences. The first was Juno, the 2007 comedy-drama that launched Page to international stardom and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. The second was Christopher Nolan’s Inception, the 2010 sci-fi blockbuster that placed Page in a rotating dream world with a cast that included Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Marion Cotillard.
Page said the difference between the two experiences was striking. “I don't know if this is weird or too personal, but when you do ask me about Inception, I had such a great time being in that movie,” Page said. “I had such a great time working with Christopher Nolan, but I was also personally really uncomfortable.” By contrast, a part like Juno allowed Page to feel “more comfortable and embodied.” Those two contrasting memories help explain Page’s inner life as a performer during a period when much of the public conversation focused only on Page’s rising fame.
Looking back now, Page believes the discomfort of that era has lifted. The actor has spoken openly in recent years about the process of coming to terms with gender identity, and that personal transformation appears to have changed how Page approaches acting. “But I feel now, because that’s removed, and I don’t have to deal with that when I’m acting in my performances,” Page said. “I am like… I feel like I could maybe do some of my best work now.”
The Odyssey and its place in Hollywood
The Odyssey has been one of the most anticipated films of the modern blockbuster era, and not only because of its A-list cast. Christopher Nolan has built a reputation for ambitious, intellectually driven spectacles, from the time-looped heist of Inception to the atomic-bomb epic Oppenheimer, which won multiple Academy Awards. With The Odyssey, Nolan turned to one of the foundational texts of Western literature. Filmed across multiple countries and released in traditional and Imax formats, the production was designed as an event in the truest sense.
According to the film’s promotional materials and press coverage, The Odyssey opened in theaters on July 17, 2026, after months of frenzy from fans and industry observers. The cast alone was enough to generate endless headlines. Matt Damon took on the role of Odysseus, the Greek hero whose long journey home serves as the backbone of the story. Tom Holland was cast as his son Telemachus, while Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, and Charlize Theron filled out key roles around the epic's many mythic characters.
Elliot Page’s role as Sinon may be smaller in screen time, but narrative importance is enormous. Sinon is the character who manipulates the Trojans through a carefully crafted lie, setting into motion the final tragedy of the Trojan War. In Nolan’s hands, the character becomes a key example of how storytelling itself can be weaponized. Page’s casting reflected the director’s willingness to place a queer actor in the middle of a mythological epic, even if Page’s subsequent career prospects have not matched that artistic openness.
The film’s overwhelming success
The financial performance of The Odyssey has only reinforced Page’s visibility. Reports have circulated that the film became the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time, a remarkable achievement for a genre and budget normally associated with older audiences. The film also continued its global sweep with a major release in China, where it reportedly opened on tens of thousands of screens, despite competing with other high-profile studio releases. The success has made stars like Matt Damon and Tom Holland even more ubiquitous in the cultural conversation. For Page, however, that success has not yet resulted in a new wave of offers.
Elliot Page’s journey in Hollywood
Elliot Page was born in 1987 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and began acting as a child in the Canadian television production Pit Pony. Early roles in Canadian television and independent film gradually led to bigger opportunities. Page’s breakthrough came with Juno, in which the actor played a sharp-tongued teenager navigating an unplanned pregnancy. The role earned widespread acclaim, including an Oscar nomination. It also introduced audiences to Page’s ability to balance wit, vulnerability, and a distinct point of view.
After Juno, Page continued to build an eclectic career. Roles in Whip It, Inception, and the X-Men franchise made Page a familiar face in both indie and mainstream cinema. Page also starred in the Netflix series The Umbrella Academy, playing Viktor Hargreeves, a former superhero whose own journey of self-discovery later mirrored Page’s own public transition. The show became one of Netflix’s most popular offerings, and Page’s performance was praised for its emotional range and grounded sensibility.
Beyond acting, Page has become a visible advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. In 2014, Page came out as gay during a speech at a Human Rights Campaign event. In 2020, Page publicly came out as transgender, sharing a message that emphasized happiness, gratitude, and a hope for greater trans visibility. In 2021, the actor released a memoir titled Pageboy, which detailed personal struggles, career experiences, and the complicated relationship with Hollywood’s expectations. The book was widely discussed for its honest portrayal of the industry and the personal cost of living under the public eye.
That history makes Page’s current uncertainty about the next role all the more understandable. Hollywood has made some progress in terms of representation, but transgender actors still face a narrow range of roles. Many studios remain cautious about casting trans actors in explicitly trans narratives, but may not yet know how to cast them in roles unrelated to their identity. Page’s talent is not in question; the industry’s imagination sometimes is.
What might come next
Throughout the podcast conversation, Page did not seem defeated. In fact, the tone was almost one of release. The discomfort that accompanied earlier career milestones is gone. Page spoke with visible energy about the possibility of doing “some of the best work now.” That statement suggests an actor who has gone through a long internal struggle and emerged with a stronger sense of self.
The absence of a next role may be temporary. Major films often take a long time to come together, especially in an industry still adjusting to post-strike deadlines and changing distribution models. A project announced in 2026 might not begin shooting until years later. Page’s apparent openness to being contacted by directors and casting agents suggests that the next phase of the career may simply require the right opportunity to arrive.
For audiences, the hope is that Hollywood’s creative community recognizes what Page already knows: the actor is entering a moment of deep creative clarity, and the performances that come next could be the most fully realized of Page’s career. Page has proven time and again that there is range, intelligence, and emotional truth in the work. The fact that Page is Canadian may make for an amusing joke, but it seems unlikely to be the real reason that scripts are not arriving. More likely, the industry simply needs to catch up with the actor who has been evolving in public view for two decades.
The Odyssey has reminded global audiences of the power of myth and transformation. Page’s own story carries a similar theme: a life changed through self-understanding, an old identity left behind, and a new future still waiting to be written. In that sense, Page may already be exactly where the next act of the story begins.
Source: MSN News