Two men posing together in a boxing gym; one is shirtless in red shorts, the other wears a black gym shirt, with boxing posters on the wall behind them.
@elliotpage
Pop Culture

Elliot Page Says Exercise Never Felt Good in His Body Before He Transitioned. Now He’s Boxing in NYC

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Elliot Page has spoken for years about how exercise changed for him after he came out as transgender in December 2020 and had top surgery. He’s said that working out never really felt good in his body before, and that it now feels thrilling and strengthening, tied directly to his mood and his sense of comfort in his own skin.

That context is what gives this week’s post its weight. Page, who is 39 and known for Juno, Inception, and playing Viktor Hargreeves in The Umbrella Academy, shared boxing-training photos along with a thank-you to his coach.

Shirtless lean young man in red shorts stands arm-in-arm with a man in a black gym shirt in front of boxing posters and photo collages on a red wall.
Elliot Page poses with a trainer inside a boxing gym decorated with vintage fight posters and memorabilia, including a Stillman’s Gym flyer.

The coach is Nolan Hanson, a respected trainer based in New York who works out of Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn and is involved with Trans Boxing. Page called Hanson “a brilliant teacher,” singling out his “strategic understanding of boxing and his thoughtful approach to the psychological side of the sport.” He recommended him to anyone in NYC looking for a coach, with one warning: “you may end up getting as hooked as I am.”

Shirtless young man in red Adidas shorts in a boxing stance with fists raised inside a ring, with a trainer in a black shirt visible at right.
Inside a boxing ring lined with red and blue ropes, Elliot Page squares up in a southpaw stance while a trainer looks on during a sparring session.

Coverage has also linked Page’s training and his visibly stronger physique to his reported casting in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, where he’s said to play Sinon. Page doesn’t mention the film in his post, and he hasn’t framed the training as preparation for a role. What he did say is that it’s become an essential part of his life.

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Two men posing together in a boxing gym; one is shirtless in red shorts, the other wears a black gym shirt, with boxing posters on the wall behind them.
@elliotpage
Shirtless lean young man in red shorts stands arm-in-arm with a man in a black gym shirt in front of boxing posters and photo collages on a red wall.
Elliot Page poses with a trainer inside a boxing gym decorated with vintage fight posters and memorabilia, including a Stillman's Gym flyer.
Shirtless young man in red Adidas shorts in a boxing stance with fists raised inside a ring, with a trainer in a black shirt visible at right.
Inside a boxing ring lined with red and blue ropes, Elliot Page squares up in a southpaw stance while a trainer looks on during a sparring session.

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About the author

Nadia Santiago

Nadia Santiago is a writer who lives between the clouds and the coastline, and writes about all the things your heart knows but your mouth can never quite say.