Ellen Page wants more LGBT stories on the big screen

The actress has promised to promote diverse storytelling when producing films in the future.

Ellen Page has said that she hopes to see more women – gay or straight – getting their stories told in Hollywood.

As well as acting, the Juno star has recently began producing films – including upcoming lesbian drama, Freeheld, which also stars Oscar winner Julianne Moore.

She is also set to produce another gay love story, in which she will star opposite Fantastic Four actress Kate Mara.

“I’m focusing mostly on stories that are meaningful to me and stories for women and supporting more gay characters,” she said during a press conference at the Zurich Film Festival this weekend.

“Statistically, there’s less women behind the camera, less women composing the music, less women writing the stories, less women acting particularly as protagonists,” she added.

The actress – who came out last year while working on Freeheld – went on to praise the diversity seen on television, but argued that Hollywood still has a long way to go, especially when it came to women and race.

“If you’re a woman and you happen to be an Africa American women, or a First Nations woman, then your chances are even more limited and your stories aren’t being told.”

“I think what we’re seeing in television is a reflection that audiences do want more diverse storytelling, they want to see other stories and they are responding to that.

“I feel like the film industry is going to start following that path. Hopefully that will keep changing,” she told Screen Daily.

She also said that she hopes to see more women come out in Hollywood, in order to garner a true understanding of how gay women want to be represented on screen.

“There are not that many out gay women [in Hollywood] so it’s hard to come to some sort of consensus about what that means.

“I’m feeling grateful for what options and opportunities I have.”

Freeheld is based on the true story of New Jersey police officer Laurel Hester – played by Julianne Moore – and Hester’s battle while terminally ill to make sure her partner Stacie Andree – who is played by Page – receives survivor pension benefits, as their relationship wasn’t recognised.

As well as hitting the red carpet with her girlfriend for the first time earlier this month, the X-Men actress opened up about playing her first openly gay character since coming out herself.

She also recently hit out at two of the Republicans running to be President – branding them “homophobic people”.

• Nov 29 2023

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