The Umbrella Academy showrunner Steve Blackman revealed that he rewrote season three after Elliot Page’s transition.
Back in 2020, the 35-year-old actor came out as trans in a heartfelt post on social media.
“Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot. I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life,” he wrote.
After his landmark announcement, initial reports revealed that his character in the popular Netflix series would not be rewritten as trans.
However, it was later confirmed that his real-life transition would be reflected in Number Seven/Viktor Hargreeves.
In a recent interview with ET, Blackman opened up about the creative process behind the decision.
“I had already finished the season, the writers were gone, scripts were finished and I got a call from Elliot one day saying, ‘I’m transitioning.’ I was very happy for him,” he explained.
“To his credit, he didn’t demand that I write it into the story. He said, ‘Do what you want. I trust you. Write it in, don’t write it in, whatever you want to do.’ Elliot is very kind like that.”
Blackman went on to say that, while rewriting Page’s character, he looked to the Inception actor and GLAAD Media Institute Vice President Thomas Page McBee for guidance.
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“[Thomas has] been through the experience and he became my guide. In collaboration with Elliot, they talked me through what it means to be trans, what it means, how it feels and how to tell a story,” he continued.
Towards the end of his interview, Blackman said he didn’t want to “hang a lantern” or make “a sob story” of Viktor’s transition.
“We all agreed that we want it to be something that just happened and let the family react to it,” he said.
“That was the hard balance to find that. We’d work together, and then I’d change them. I finally found that nice balance.
“I’m really proud of what we did, but it was definitely collaborative. I needed both of them to really help guide me. I learned a lot about what it is to be transgender. I’m still learning, actually.”
Blackman’s interview comes a week after Page echoed similar sentiments during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers on 21 June.
“When we first talked about it, [showrunner Steve Blackman] seemed really excited about incorporating it into the show,” he explained.
After praising the inclusion of McBee, Page told Meyers that he was proud of the trans-inclusive season and was “excited for people to see it.”
Umbrella Academy season three is now available to stream on Netflix.
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