Elliot Page will continue to play Vanya Hargreeves in The Umbrella Academy

Despite some suggestions that the role be recast, Elliot Page will continue to play Vanya Hargreeves in The Umbrella Academy, and the character’s gender will not be changed.

Yesterday, Elliot Page — the Oscar-nominated actor formerly known as Ellen Page — came out as transgender, one of the most prominent Hollywood actors to ever do so. “I love that I am trans,” Page wrote. “And I love that I am queer. And the more I hold myself close and fully embrace who I am, the more I dream, the more my heart grows and the more I thrive. To all the trans people who deal with harassment, self-loathing, abuse, and the threat of violence every day: I see you, I love you, and I will do everything I can to change this world for the better.”

For the most part, response on social media has been positive, with Page’s costars on The Umbrella Academy supporting him along with many others. His name has already been updated on IMDb and Netflix is in the process of changing the metadata for all the movies he’s a part of on the service.

However, there have also been some calls for Page’s Umbrella Academy role to be recast. Page’s character, Vanya Hargreeves, is a cisgender woman and part of a dysfunctional family of superheroes. A cisgender character, so this line of reasoning goes, should be played by a cisgender actor.

To start, that’s not going to happen. Variety confirms that Page will continue to play Vanya in the show’s third season, and that there are no plans to change the character’s gender. LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD pushed back against the notion that recasting was necessary. “Trans actors can and do play both trans and cisgender characters,” said Nick Adams, director of transgender media at the organization. “I’m sure Elliot will continue to be brilliant in Umbrella Academy and many different types of roles in the future.”

It’s true that cisgender actors have faced backlash in recent years for playing trans characters. For example, in 2018, Scarlett Johansson signed on to play a trans man in the movie Rub & Tug, but withdrew after receiving criticism. “I have great admiration and love for the trans community and am grateful that the conversation regarding inclusivity in Hollywood continues,” she said at the time. “While I would have loved the opportunity to bring Dante’s story and transition to life, I understand why many feel he should be portrayed by a transgender person, and I am thankful that this casting debate, albeit controversial, has sparked a larger conversation about diversity and representation in film.”

However, the situation with Page is different for a couple of reasons. The first is practical: unlike Johansson, who signed on to play a trans character as a cisgender woman, Page has already played Vanya for years and just now came out as trans. It’s one thing to refuse a role before shooting scene one and another to vacate it a couple of seasons in.

Perhaps more importantly, part of the reason there’s been a push for trans actors to play trans characters is because trans representation in Hollywood is so low; traditionally, Hollywood hasn’t cast trans people at all, whether as trans characters or cis characters, with actors like Page and Laverne Cox at the forefront of trying to change that. The push for more trans actors on screen is an attempt to correct an imbalance, which isn’t a problem cis actors traditionally face.

In any case, The Umbrella Academy is already a hit at Netflix, and this should get the show even more eyeballs. The third season is looking more interesting than ever.

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