Ellen Page on ‘Ellen’: Talks ‘shame, guilt for not being out’

Ellen Page says she’s much more comfortable and happier now that she’s come out as a lesbian.

The “X-Men: Days of Future Past� star sat down for an interview on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show� that was posted on the talker’s YouTube channel Wednesday, and the host expressed how proud and happy she was for the actress.

The “Juno� and “Inception� star came out in February during an emotional speech at the LGBT youth conference Time to Thrive.

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“I’m here today because I am gay, and because maybe I can make a difference,� Page said at the time, adding that she felt “a personal obligation and a social responsibility� to come out but was also doing it “selfishly� because she was “tired of hiding� and “tired of lying by omission.�

DeGeneres, who is openly gay, asked the 27-year-old how nervous she was during the “incredible� speech.

“The most nervous I’ve ever been in my life,� Page replied. “I think my biggest fear of doing it was even just having a panic attack, quite frankly.

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“But I was just so ready to do it and quite frankly so excited to do it. So it was a combination of such thrill to finally be at that place in my life where I was able to do that and grateful to have that moment. And grateful to you because you did it in a time when it was much harder and much scarier.�

Indeed, DeGeneres came out in 1997 with a Time magazine cover that read, “Yep, I’m Gay.� But the host focused on her guest’s journey rather than her own.

“I knew I would be a happier person,� Page said. “I knew that I was going to feel better and I did not anticipate just how happy I would feel in every aspect of my life -- just an ease and a comfort. It’s really been quite extraordinary to feel the shift that was pretty much overnight.�

DeGeneres equated the coming-out process to “releasing shame.�

“It’s toxic,� Page continued. “We talked about this a bit. You think you’re at a place where you’re, like, ‘Oh, I’m happy to be gay’ ... and honestly, it wasn’t until making that choice and doing that where I realized I was carrying a tremendous amount of shame and guilt for not being out. I felt isolated from the LGBT community and now I don’t.

“It’s so nice to just be at work and talk about an ex or get to wear what you want and not have a conversation about it. And to feel like you’re being yourself and then connect with people in the world.�

Page added that since she’s come out she’s shared “beautiful� moments with people telling them their stories or asking for advice when they’re closeted.

People and Us Weekly reported that the interview will air May 27.

[For The Record, 11:25 p.m. PDT May 1: A previous version of this post stated that Ellen DeGeneres announced that she was gay in 2007. She made the announcement in 1997.]

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