After the revelation of Elliot Page, star of “Juno”, who announced this Tuesday to be transgender, it was confirmed that he will continue to play the role of Vanya Hargreeves in the Netflix series “The Umbrella Academy.”
The series is about a family of superheroes that has become one of the streaming service’s biggest hits. Vanya is a cisgender woman whose superpower involves releasing strength through the use of sound. “There are no plans to change the gender of the character,” insiders told Variety.
The credited name of the page has already been updated on the IMDB page of “The Umbrella Academy”.
Netflix is also in the process of updating the Page name in the metadata on all the titles that it is involved in and that are available to watch on the streaming service, another source said. Those changes should begin to be reflected throughout Tuesday.
Most of the social media reaction to Page’s announcement was positive, with stars like Miley Cyrus and Kate Mara showing their support. However, some commenters suggested that the role of Vanya Hargreeves should be recast.
GLAAD, the LGBTQ advocacy group, rejected the idea that Vanya should be recast with a cisgender actress.
“Trans actors can and do play trans and cisgender characters. I am confident that Elliot will continue to be brilliant at Umbrella Academy and in many different kinds of roles in the future, ”Nick Adams, GLAAD’s director of transgender media, told Variety.
“The Umbrella Academy” centers on a group of adopted superhero siblings who team up to solve the mystery of their father’s death while warding off a possible apocalypse. The series ended its second season in July. In November, Netflix renewed “The Umbrella Academy” for a third season.
It should be noted that Netflix social networks were proud of Elliot Page’s revelation on Tuesday and noted: «Very proud of our superhero! We love you Elliot! We can’t wait to see you back in season 3. “
