Elliot Page recalls asking mom if he could be a boy when he was a child in first interview since coming out as transgender

Elliot Page is opening up about his journey as a transgender man.

In his first interview since disclosing he’s trans, the Oscar-nominated actor recalled the feeling of triumph he had when he was finally allowed to cut his hair short.

“I felt like a boy,” said Page, who was then around 9 years of age. “I wanted to be a boy. I would ask my mom if I could be someday.”

The interview, which appears on the cover of this week’s issue of Time, marked the first time the 34-year-old actor and longtime LGBTQ activist spoke about his gender identity since a deeply personal Instagram post late last year.

“I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot,” the “Umbrella Academy” star wrote on Dec. 1, 2020.

“I love that I am trans. And I love that I am queer,” his lengthy, heartfelt message read.

Growing up in Nova Scotia, Canada, Page said that he’d always seen himself as a boy, and that the haircut let strangers see him the same way, as well — which felt right.

That moment, in the late ’90s, has led to the actor’s decision of telling the world about his identity.

When asked about the days that preceded his post, Page explained the myriad of emotions he experienced: “This feeling of true excitement and deep gratitude to have made it to this point in my life,” he said, “mixed with a lot of fear and anxiety.”

And even though he already expected that the news would be met with “a lot of support and love and a massive amount of hatred and transphobia” — which is “essentially what happened” — Page said that he just couldn’t anticipate the impact his words would have.

That day, his personal message started trending on Twitter in more than 20 countries. On Instagram, the actor gained more than 400,000 news followers.

It also made him into one of the world’s most famous transgender people — who’s now using his powerful voice to advocate for transgender rights.

“Not only is Elliot Page a fine actor, he is also an advocate for equality and justice who continues to educate the world about who trans people really are and about why the current barrage of anti-trans bills promoted by fearmongering politicians are so harmful and unnecessary,” Nick Adams, GLAAD’s director of transgender representation, told the Daily News in a statement.

On Tuesday morning, when sharing the Time cover under the headline “‘I’m fully who I am’ — Actor Elliot Page and the fight for trans equality,” the “Juno” star fully embraced his role as an equality warrior.

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“With deep respect for those who came before me, gratitude for those who have supported me & great concern for the generation of trans youth we must all protect, please join me and decry anti-trans legislation, hate & discrimination in all its forms,” he tweeted.

After fully disclosing to Time that the interview, which took place in February, would be “emotional,” Page volunteered information on his decision to get top surgery, while emphasizing that being transgender is so much more than surgical procedures.

While to many trans people surgeries are unnecessary, he said that, in his case, it made it possible for him to look in the mirror and recognize himself.

“It has completely transformed my life,” he said, adding that he’s spent a lot of energy being uncomfortable in his body. But now, he’s gained back all that energy.

With the historic cover, Page became the first transgender man to appear on the cover of Time.

In May, 2014 actress and activist Laverne Cox made history as the first trans woman to grace the cover of the magazine, under the headline “The Transgender Tipping Point.”