Elliot Page says casting has dried up since 'The Odyssey,' even as the film crossed $1.5 billion worldwide

Acting offers have largely stopped coming for Elliot Page since his appearance in Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey," the actor said Thursday on the "On Film... with Kevin McCarthy" podcast, attributing the shift to how Hollywood now views him after his gender transition. That disclosure arrives as the film stands above $1.5 billion at the global box office by early September, one of 2026's biggest theatrical successes despite pre-release controversy over Nolan's casting decisions.

Page, 39, played Greek soldier Sinon in the film, reuniting with Nolan 16 years after "Inception." The controversy surfaced before the film reached theaters. Fox News Digital reported in July that critics targeted several choices, including Page as Sinon, Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy, and rapper Travis Scott as a Greek bard. The film cleared $1.5 billion regardless.

Page reflected on how things have shifted since he came out as transgender in 2020. "I was seen in a certain way before, and it's different now," he said. Getting cast has become "a little tricky," he added, for what he called obvious reasons. He suggested he may need to take a more active role, reaching out to filmmakers and developing projects rather than waiting for offers to arrive.

The broader movie business provides an uneven backdrop. Reuters reported in August that domestic box-office revenue reached $6.2 billion through Aug. 2, a 15% increase from the same point in 2025 but still short of 2019 levels. The ticket volume gap is wider: 470.9 million sold through that window versus 747.3 million during the comparable 2019 period.

Lisa Cusack, president of the Don't L.A. My Burbank PAC, told Fox News Digital that the industry's financial pressure should steer studios away from political messaging. "Hollywood might skew as left as it gets, but the industry is struggling right now and can't afford to push woke politics that lose at the box office," she said. GLAAD, separately, released a report finding that LGBTQ representation on screen had shrunk for a third consecutive year.

Page said the absence of offers has not dimmed his ambition. He described feeling more capable as a performer since his transition: "I feel like I could maybe do some of my best work now." His stated path forward is to initiate rather than wait, approaching filmmakers and building projects himself.