Beverly Glenn-Copeland's gorgeous lyrics — "This world has many ends and beginnings / A cycle ends, will something remain?" — opens Elliot Page's memoir Pageboy. It's a poignant start to the book that invites readers into his world that, at the time, was entering a new and true season.
Following Page's coming out as a trans man in 2020, it was announced that his character on the hit Netflix series The Umbrella Academy, originally named Vanya Hargreeves, would be mirroring the actor's transition and becoming Viktor Hargreeves. In the second episode of Season 3, entitled "World's Biggest Ball of Twine," Viktor comes out to his family, and they accept him with open arms in a tender moment.
"There was a parallel journey [with Viktor] that I relate to and really enjoyed playing," Page tells Exclaim! over Zoom ahead of the premiere of The Umbrella Academy's final season.
"When we first find him at the beginning, [he] is so disconnected from himself, very uncomfortable, very quiet, very folded in, incredibly anxious," the Nova Scotia-born actor reflects. "As we see him grow and change through the seasons, [there's a] stronger foundation and ability to show up for himself and the world in a more positive manner."
After four seasons, Page and his fellow cast members say goodbye to what became a massively popular hit for the giant streamer. Although there was a baked-in fan base for the series carried over from Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá's comic book series, The Umbrella Academy seemed to strike a nerve with audiences around the world.
Looking back on what made the series gain such a wide reach, Page posits, "It's a show that is so much about what sacrifice means, coming together for those you love. This group of siblings are searching for connection in the world, and I think that's what a lot of people felt we've lost. There is a lot of loneliness and isolation."
He continues, "Ultimately, it's a genre show, but it really found this balance of [being] very emotional, full of depth and nuance. I think people can individually relate to different characters in different ways, because we've all dealt with those more difficult moments of our past or seen how they're popping up in our present. What are we looking for, externally versus internally, that could make us whole? That, to me, is so inherently universal."
With The Umbrella Academy wrapping up its loose ends and concluding the story of the Hargreeves family, Page recalls the storyline between Sissy Cooper (played by Marin Ireland) and Viktor in Season 2 as his favourite to perform, and one that continues to hold great meaning for him today.
"Marin remains a great friend," Page says of the actress, who is also mentioned in Pageboy as an invaluable source of support for him during a time where Page struggled with the distance between the image reflected in the mirror and the identity he knew to be true. "A lot of the stories between Sissy and Viktor [are] absolutely some of my favourites I've done on the whole show."
Multiple worlds have ended and began across the series and, as The Umbrella Academy cycle ends for Page, Beverly Glenn-Copeland's words from "A Song and Many Moons" find meaning within a show that saw Page through what was once a near-impossible professional possibility in Hollywood.
For Page, what remains of Viktor and The Umbrella Academy is "the memory of getting to play him for so many years. I just feel so lucky and so grateful that people [connected to the show], because it was such a joy."