Ellen Page’s Revealing Feature in W Magazine

The Conde Nast-owned W Magazine recently published exclusive quotes and photos featuring actress Ellen Page, who also graces the front cover of the New Royals issue. The 27-year-old Canadian is well known for her work in films like Inception, Juno, and Hard Candy.

In February, she spoke out regarding LGBT rights in a poignant coming out speech delivered at the Human Rights Campaign 2014 conference. She serves as an inspirational female role model and a visible political activist. And now her revealing interview and portraits featured in W Magazine are causing a stir.

The cover photo depicts Ellen Page gazing directly at the camera. Her fashion is androgynous — she wears a suit, tie, and a wide brim floppy hat. However, the photo that is causing a stir depicts Page wearing her underwear and a large black cape, challenging viewers with another direct stare. The cape is an interesting fashion choice, because it’s typically used to cover large areas of the body instead of revealing skin.

Page has some very prominent abdominal muscles, leading People Magazine to note, “We had no idea she was harboring such a fit physique.”

Is this fair? Who knows, perhaps the some of the buzz surrounding this photo has to do with expectation. Perhaps our culture has become so used to seeing wraith-like, thin models that the fit and toned Page comes off as a challenging surprise.

Pages also described her experience filming Hard Candy in the W Magazine feature. This 2005 Lionsgate feature film is definitely not for the faint of heart. Hard Candy is a vigilante film about a teenager who hunts down a pedophile to exact justice for his crimes. This chilling film made its way through indie circuits and was well received by critics. Lynn Hirschberg of the New York Times described how studio executives “raved” about Page’s performance.

Page described in W Magazine how she approached the troubling subject matter of the film at the age of 17.

“My character had to castrate the pedophile. I’ve always loved learning things for a part, and I remember researching castration and thinking, this is so interesting. I’m a nerd that way: I love the challenges of this job.”

If Page’s appearance in W Magazine reveals anything, it’s her immense talent in engaging with viewers and tackling new professional challenges. One can’t help but wonder what’s to come next for this extremely skilled performer.