Elliot Page on the Red Carpet of NewFest Pride 2024
by Jason Godbey
[New York, NY- June 1, 2024] Actor/Producer Elliot Page kicked off pride month at the SVA Theater in New York City on Saturday with the New York Premiere of his latest feature, Close to You, directed by Dominic Savage ( The Escape, I Am…) and co-starring Hillary Baack ( Sound of Metal, Past Future).
Close to You is the story of Sam (Page) who is returning home for his father’s birthday celebration when he has a chance encounter with Katherine (Baack), an old friend for whom he’s had feelings. Their meeting gives them a chance to explore their feelings for each other while Sam’s reunion with his family forces him to confront some long-buried issues.
The film was co-written by Page and Dominic Savage, who developed an outline from which the actors would then improvise their scenes. This led to a different kind of acting experience for Page, who was nervous about the experience at first but found the process to be “pretty phenomenal,” and credits Savage and the crew who were able to execute some extraordinarily long takes including one which lasted 53 minutes.
When asked if the film was personal or autobiographical, he said, “No, it’s not autobiographical,” but due to the nature of the filmmaking it became personal for all the actors who felt “a catharsis” with the material which carries themes of “feelings for someone from our past, dysfunction with family,” and “what it means to be truly seen.”
Page also spoke generally about the upcoming season of Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy and described it as “exciting… It is definitely a wild ride. It’s emotional and full of amazing new people and awesome guest stars.” He went on to say, “I’m so thrilled for the fans to see it, and of course also sad that it’s the last time around.” When asked if he could drop any story points about new season, he smiled and said, “No, I would be done for. I would be done for.”
NewFest Pride will continue to run today and tomorrow at the SVA Theater in Manhattan. Follow us here for more coverage of Close to You, NewFest Pride, and the upcoming Tribeca Festival.
Originally published at http://behindtherabbitproductions.wordpress.com on June 2, 2024.
