Spoiler alert: This story contains plot details of the third season of “Umbrella Academy.”
“Umbrella Academy” is back on Netflix, and this season Elliot Page is “proud” of seeing his character’s evolution.
In March, Page, 35, shared that his character Vanya Hargreeves will be Viktor moving forward. Viktor’s transition journey runs parallel to the one for Page, who came out as transgender in December 2020.
The “Umbrella Academy” actor appeared Tuesday on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” where he discussed how Viktor’s transition was tackled.
Page shared that showrunner Steve Blackman “seemed really excited about incorporating (my transition) into the show” once he opened up about it. The crew also brought trans author and journalist Thomas Page McBee on set where he “helped out” with bringing Viktor’s story to fruition.
“I feel proud of it and I’m excited for people to see it,” Page declared.
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“Umbrella Academy” returned to Netflix on Wednesday. The premiere episode doesn’t address Viktor’s transition as his family and friends still know him as Vanya. The character also still sports the same long hair he’s had since Season 1 — something that later becomes symbolic.
In the second episode, Viktor decides to get a haircut from a hairdresser at the Hotel Obisidian. A dialogue from Sissy (Marin Ireland) a character in Season 2, plays in Viktor’s head while in the salon chair. “You don’t even notice the box that you’re in until someone comes along and lets you out,” Sissy says.
Following the haircut, Viktor enters an argument with his siblings as they discuss whether to embrace their new enemies The Sparrow Academy. When Viktor interjects, his brother Diego (David Casteñada) shoots back, “Who elected you, Vanya?”
“It’s, uh, Viktor,” he says, before telling his siblings, “It’s who I’ve always been.”
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His brothers are accepting of the fact, before getting back to the discussion at hand. “Truly happy for you, Viktor,” Five (Aidan Gallagher) says. “But last time I checked, you don’t speak for this family.”
In another conversation, Viktor comes out to his older sister Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman), who feels bad that she didn’t notice.
“You couldn’t have known ‘cause I didn’t fully,” Viktor’s character says, adding that Sissy’s death in Season 2 made him realize he “can’t live in that box any more.”
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The pair later pass a shop window where Viktor remarks that he finally feels like he’s seeing his reflection. “You know I always hated mirrors. Thought everybody felt so strange in their skin. I guess that’s not true, right?”
During Page’s appearance on “Late Night,” Meyers asked if Viktor’s support system was true to the actor’s real-life experience to which he shared that “most people weren’t surprised” and his inner circle was very supportive.
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Meyers also questioned how the “Juno” alum feels about negativity surrounding his transition.
“What I want to focus on right now, and has been so extraordinary, is the degree of joy that I feel, the degree of presence that I feel. I feel a way that I really never thought possible for a long, long time,” Page said. “Of course, some moments can be overwhelming.”
The actor added: “I feel like it’s so unfortunate because we’re all on the same team here, you know? Whether you’re trans, non-binary, cis, we all have these expectations and these limits and constraints because of people’s obsession with the binary and how we’re supposed to live. To me, it would be so special for us to all be able to connect and talk about how similar we all are.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Elliot Page on ‘Umbrella Academy’ character Viktor’s trans journey
