Elliot Page accuses male film director of 'grooming' him as a teenager

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By Nasima Khatun

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Elliot Page has accused a male film director of "grooming" him as a teenager.

In the star's memoir titled Pageboy, which was originally released last year, the 37-year-old claimed that he was groomed by a male film director.

The incident, which allegedly took place at a French diner in downtown Toronto, Canada, occurred after the filmmaker had spent time sending "frequent texts [that] made me feel special" as well as gifting the young actor "books."

"You have to make the move, I can’t," the man allegedly whispered to Page while "stroking [his] thigh under the table," he wrote of the experience.

Elliot Page
Elliot Page opened up about instances of abuse during his early career in his memoir 'pageboy'. Credit: Arturo Holmes/FilmMagic/Getty

Elsewhere in the memoir, in a chapter titled Leeches, he also detailed other times when directors or crew members had overstepped the boundary and acted inappropriately.

He wrote that "on a project not long before" the encounter with the director, "a crew member had done the same."

"In between takes he would talk to me about art and films, Kubrick naturally. He invited me to hang out on a Saturday afternoon," he wrote. "After a walk in the rain he grabbed me, asserting we go upstairs. Pulling me into his body, I could feel his hard c*** against me."

Elliot Page
Page stated that he was "the perfect target" for those who wanted to abuse their power. Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty

While shooting the 2005 crime thriller Hard Candy when he was only 17, Page also recalled a harrowing experience in which he was faced with a man (who is now allegedly a filmmaker) who abused his position.

"He was funny and strange, and he was kind to me. We spoke about books, discussed films and obscure, depressing graphic novels," he wrote about the encounter. "A glint in his eyes made me feel seen, supported. He had a sweetness even."

After the party was over, the man offered Page a lift back to his apartment but ended up following him in and guiding him to the bedroom.

Page wrote that he "went stiff with a smile," and was "unsure what to do."

"He laid me down on the bed. Starting to remove my pants, he said, 'I want to eat you out.' I froze. After it was over, he tried to stay in the bed with me. I had thawed marginally and told him he couldn't, to get out. He slept on the couch."

Elsewhere, the Umbrella Academy star recounted repeated incidents that happened to him while working on another project but this time, with a female crew member.

He stated that because of his confusion with his sexual and gender identity at the time, this made him the perfect "prey."

"As puberty transmuted me into a character I had no interest in playing, my isolation, insecurity, and unknowing grew. I desperately needed to anchor myself," he wrote. "In new cities, with no friends, alone in hotel rooms, it was not hard for someone to prey. I'm sure they sense that."

Pageboy by Elliot Page is available at all major book retailers.

Featured Image Credit: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic/Getty