Elliot Page returned to a Christopher Nolan set 16 years after Inception, appeared in one of the year’s biggest films and came away believing some of his best acting could still be ahead of him. His next role, however, has not arrived.
Page, 39, discussed the situation during the September 1 episode of On Film… With Kevin McCarthy. When McCarthy suggested that starring as Sinon in The Odyssey must have brought “a zillion calls,” Page laughed and replied, “No, Kevin, I’m not. So, if someone wants to call me,” according to an AOL report on the interview.
Page said he would “really love to do, ideally, good work,” but acknowledged that finding the next acting job has become complicated. “I was seen in a certain way before, and it’s different now,” he said. “It’s a little tricky for me to get cast now, for obvious reasons.”
His experience actually performing has moved in the opposite direction. Page said returning to Nolan after Inception showed him how much more comfortable and connected he now feels while acting, leaving him convinced that he could produce some of his strongest work yet.
Page Says ‘The Odyssey’ Has Not Brought His Next Role Yet
McCarthy raised the subject after discussing the reception for The Odyssey, assuming Page would now be fielding large numbers of calls about new projects.
Page quickly corrected him, then joked that anyone interested was welcome to get in touch. Us Weekly reported that Page has not landed another acting role since appearing in Nolan’s film.
The absence of another role comes after a major theatrical success. The Odyssey opened to $264.1 million worldwide, giving Nolan the largest global opening of his career in unadjusted dollars.
Page plays Sinon, a Greek soldier whose story comes from the tradition surrounding the Trojan War rather than from Homer’s Odyssey itself.
Page Says Getting Cast Is ‘a Little Tricky’ Now
Page connected his current situation to the way he has been perceived at different points in his career.
“I was seen in a certain way before, and it’s different now,” he said. Page then suggested that reaching out to filmmakers himself and building relationships around specific projects might offer another route to new work.
Page did not identify a studio, filmmaker or casting director who had rejected him because he is transgender, and he did not elaborate on what he meant by “for obvious reasons.” He publicly came out as transgender in December 2020.
His acting work since then has included Close to You, the final seasons of The Umbrella Academy and The Odyssey.
Returning to Nolan Felt Very Different From ‘Inception’
@varietymagazine “Inception” star Elliot Page says filming “The Odyssey” post-transition feels like having “a Chris Nolan experience” all over again. “It was such a joy to come back,” Page said during an “X-Men: Days of Future Past” reunion panel at NYCC. “As you can imagine, being more comfortable in yourself makes these sort of projects more enjoyable.” #elliotpage #theodyssey #christophernolan #inception #marvel ♬ original sound – Variety
Page told McCarthy that he enjoyed making Inception and working with Nolan in 2010 while also being personally uncomfortable during that period of his life.
He said that discomfort no longer sits between him and a performance in the same way. Feeling more embodied and connected to himself now allows him to let go more completely while acting.
Wrapping The Odyssey became an emotional “full circle moment” for Page. He said returning to a Nolan set under very different personal circumstances made the experience cathartic and reinforced his belief that he could now do some of his best work.
Page had expressed a similar feeling before the film’s release. During a July appearance on The Daily Show, he discussed playing Sinon, working in the film’s difficult physical conditions and returning to Nolan’s filmmaking environment.
Page May Start Creating More Opportunities Himself
Page did not describe himself as resigned to waiting for casting calls. He suggested that he may begin contacting filmmakers directly and trying to develop projects through those relationships.
That approach would build on work he is already doing outside acting. Page Boy Productions has developed film and television projects including Backspot, Close to You and a television adaptation of the video game Beyond: Two Souls.
Page has not announced the acting role that will follow Sinon. For now, he says he wants to keep performing and believes he is more capable of fully losing himself in a character than he was earlier in his career.