Celebrity
Elliot Page Reveals The Touching Meaning Behind His E.T. Tattoo
The actor wrote about his ink in his new memoir, Pageboy.
In Elliot Page’s memoir Pageboy, released on June 6, the actor opens up about the cinematic homage he has inked on his right arm. The tattoo reads “E.P. PHONE HOME” — a version of the famous line from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, modified to feature Page’s initials.
After filming Whip It in 2008, Page left Hollywood for Oregon, hoping to enjoy a change of scenery and to learn about sustainable living. He arrived a day early and checked into a motel, feeling anxious and drained. He turned on the TV as a distraction — and lo and behold, E.T. was on. “I grinned and almost winked, as if to say, I hear you,” he writes. “I love synchronicity, regardless of what it means, I notice and roll with it.” By the next morning, he says, he felt much better.
Page continues, “E.T. is one of my favorite movies of all time. I probably watch it once a year, and never have I not bawled my eyes out. I wished so badly to be Elliott when I was a little boy. For my first Halloween after I came out as trans, I donned a red hoodie and by chance already had sneakers that looked just like his in the film. I dressed up as Elliott, hit the streets of Manhattan with some pals, and had the best Halloween ever. Wishes can come true.”
Page previously spoke about his tattoo and its significance. “I loved E.T. when I was a kid and always wanted to look like the boys in the movies, right?” he told TIME in 2021, noting that the movie’s main character, Elliot (Henry Thomas), also inspired him to choose the name Elliot.
In Pageboy, the actor also mentioned his “C KEENS” tattoo on his right arm, which is dedicated to his An American Crime co-star, Catherine Keener. “She is one of the absolute greats,” he gushes.
Page came out as trans in December 2020. Since then, he’s made a point to be vocal about his own journey and to advocate for the larger trans community. “I love that I am trans. And I love that I am queer,” he wrote on Instagram at the time. “I see you, I love you and I will do everything I can to change this world for the better.”
