Following Elliot Page coming out as trans, his character on The Umbrella Academy also transitioned. In Season 3 of the Netflix show, he changed his name to Viktor Hargreeves, and the actor has been open about how accepting the cast and crew was of him coming out. Now, ahead of The Umbrella Academy’s fourth and final season, he spoke about how sweet the showrunner, Steve Blackman, was when he came out and how they instantly started implementing his trans identity into the show.
In 2020, between Seasons 2 and 3 of The Umbrella Academy, Elliot Page came out as trans. His castmates, including his on-screen brothers David Castañeda, Justin H. Min, and more, showed their support and love for their co-star. Another person who was incredibly supportive through this was the Netflix series' showrunner, Steve Blackman. Speaking with Time about coming out, the actor spoke highly of his boss, saying:
Steve [Blackman], the showrunner of Umbrella, is actually one of the first people I came out to.
Going into Season 3 of Umbrella Academy, which featured the cast coming together to figure out life in a totally new parallel universe, it was announced that Elliot Page’s character would now be known as Viktor, and his story on the show went along with his transition in real life.
To this point, the Inception star explained that when he came out to Blackman, he was “very insistent” on having the show reflect life. So, that’s how they established Viktor’s story, which included him coming out very early in the season to his family, and it was lovely. Speaking about the support he got from the showrunner, the actor said:
I called him nervously and he was incredible. If anything, he was the one who was very insistent on immediately having it be a part of the show and supported me to be able to access the care I was hoping to get at that time.
Page coming out was immediately implemented in Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy. He told his family in the show that he was now Viktor, not Vanya, and they were all incredibly supportive, accepting and excited about it. The show is a glowing example of trans representation, and this story was treated with a lot of care, love and joy.
To this point, back in 2022, Elliot Page spoke with THR about Viktor’s transition, his story that season, and what it meant to him. The actor said:
I think one of the most special things about this is how it’s handled. It’s not void of emotional moments with the siblings, of course. I think they’re each individually special and in relation to their specific relationship. The scene when Luther and Diego are coming down the stairs and Luther’s awkwardness and all these things, these were — simultaneously I’m experiencing all that, because I’ve stepped into this moment where I’m a trans person and perceived that way, and having all these new experiences I didn’t have before. Then these scenes were resonating with that, which was really incredible. We don’t see that when we’re not in control of our stories a lot of the time. So it felt really special.
Now, Elliot Page, Steve Blackman and The Umbrella Academy crew are getting ready for their fourth and final season. They all celebrated the renewal in August of 2022, and now, two years later, we’ll finally get the Hargreeves’ final chapter.
As we learn more about the final season of The Umbrella Academy, which will premiere on the 2024 TV schedule on August 8, we’ll keep you updated. To see the story Elliot Page is talking about when it comes to Viktor’s transition, you can stream the series with a Netflix subscription.
