Elliot Page returned to the Oscars stage on Sunday night to celebrate the 15th anniversary of his beloved film Juno – for which he received a Best Actress nomination at the 2008 awards ceremony.
The 35-year-old actor was joined on stage at the 94th Academy Awards by his Juno co-stars Jennifer Garner and JK Simmons, all three of whom pay tribute to the indie flick that catapulted Elliot to worldwide fame.
Elliot, who came out as transgender in December 2020, was quick to praise the film’s lasting impact on viewers and recalled his own initial excitement upon reading the script, which he said captivated him from page one, and celebrated the work of screenwriter Diablo Cody.
“Juno pulled me in from page one and was completely immersed in Diablo Cody’s distinctive voice. It was unlike anything I had ever read before,” he told the star-studded audience.
Elliot Page looked dapper at the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday night, wearing a classic black tuxedo for his red carpet appearance
The 35-year-old actor happily flashed a huge grin for the cameras as he walked the carpet at the awards ceremony, which came 14 years after he was nominated for an Oscar
Elliot shared a touching moment on stage as he reunited with his Juno co-stars Jennifer Garner and JK Simmons, with all three paying tribute to the film’s 15th anniversary
Jennifer, 49, agreed, adding, “15 years ago we all experienced the exhilarating feeling of reading a whole new script that felt new and exciting.”
Meanwhile, JK, who starred in the film as Juno’s father, joked about the film’s witty dialogue, noting, “There were definitely some lines in there that I hadn’t read before, like ‘Your Eggo is preggo’ and ‘Pork Swords’ . come to mind.’
The actor rose to fame playing the title role of Juno MacGuff, a pregnant teenager who wants to give her baby up for adoption to Jennifer’s character, Vanessa Loring
The touching reunion comes almost 15 years after Juno premiered; The film, which was released in December 2007, catapulted Elliot to worldwide fame.
In the film, the actor played the role of Juno MacGuff, a pregnant teenager who offers to put her baby up for adoption by a local couple, Mark and Vanessa Loring – played by Jason Bateman and Jennifer.
JK played the role of Juno’s father, Mac, while her stepmother, Bren, was played by Allison Janney.
The role earned Elliot an Oscar nomination for Best Actress and saw him hailed as one of Hollywood’s brightest young stars. Major film roles followed in X-Men: Days of Future Past and Inception, in which he starred opposite Leonardo DiCaprio.
However, after coming out as a transgender man in December 2020, Elliot spoke about the private struggles he faced during his rise to Hollywood stardom, telling Oprah in a May 2021 interview that puberty was the “Total hell” while donning a variety of dresses for red carpet events after the release of Juno left him in “pain.”
Elliot, Jennifer and JK recalled their reactions when they first read the script for Juno, describing it as “completely original, new” and “exciting”.
Released in December 2007, Juno propelled Elliot (starring in the film with Jennifer and Jason Bateman) to worldwide fame and even earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actress
Elliot’s performance at the ceremony was widely praised online, with several Twitter users noting how “happy” he looked
In a May 2021 interview with Oprah, Elliot admitted he couldn’t even look at pictures of himself at the 2008 Oscars (seen) and explained that he was in “pain” after being forced to sit during his promotion for the movie dresses to wear Juno
In fact, he “couldn’t just express the level of pain I was in” when promoting Juno and can’t even look at photos of himself in the vintage Jean-Louis Scherrer dress he wore the following year the Oscars red carpet when he was nominated for Best Actress.
Since coming out and coming out as transgender, the Juno star has said he’s been able to feel happy in his own body for the first time in his life.
Before hitting the red carpet, Elliot shared a behind-the-scenes look at his preparation for the glamorous event, reposting a snap of himself and his longtime hairstylist, John D.
He also snapped a quick selfie at the Dolby Theater, apparently captured backstage, before presenting an award along with his former Juno co-stars.
The touching reunion garnered a ton of praise online, with several viewers celebrating how “happy” Elliot looked at the ceremony.
“Nothing but love for Elliot Page,” one person wrote, adding, “Nice to see him happy.”
“Elliot Page lives in truth and happiness,” wrote another person.
“This is such a beautiful moment,” one tweeted. “Jennifer Garner and JK Simmons flank Elliot Page and live their authentic truth. Beautiful.’
Before taking the stage, Elliot snapped a quick selfie backstage, which he posted to his Instagram Stories
He also shared a selfie taken by his longtime hairstylist, John D
Ahead of the Oscars, Elliot took a moment to advocate for transgender rights on his Instagram account and shared a series of posts about Trans Week of Visibility + Action, a digital campaign to fight anti-trans – Legislation in the United States
In the two and a half years since he came out as trans, Elliot has become an outspoken advocate for transgender rights and uses his own experiences to highlight the importance of supporting trans youth around the world.
During his interview with Oprah last year, he opened up about his “life-changing” top surgery, explaining that the outcome of the procedure — typically performed on transgender men who have started hormone therapy — “completely transformed his life.” .
“Getting out of the shower and the towel around your waist and you look at yourself in the mirror and you’re just like, ‘Here I am,'” he said, choking. “And I don’t have the moment to panic. I don’t have all those little moments that used to be – just being in a t-shirt. It’s able to touch my chest.’
He also stressed the need to show others how important this surgery can be — especially because “there is such an onslaught on trans healthcare right now, when there is already such a lack of access or trans people who don’t even want to to go to the doctor.’