Inside Ellen Page’s equal rights police drama

Ellen Page on the long road to Freeheld

Long before Ellen Page officially came out as gay last year, she was devoted to a social studies movie based on a real-life gay rights issue.

Called Freeheld, the film re-enacts the true story of New Jersey police detective Laurel Hester. Dying of terminal lung cancer, Hester repeatedly appealed to have her pension benefits passed on after her death to her same-sex partner, Stacie Andree.

The situation was captured in Cynthia Wade’s moving 2007 documentary, which in turn hooked the Halifax-raised actress almost immediately.

The Juno Oscar-nominee enthusiastically signed on to play Stacie, and agreed to co-produce the film. But soon she realized dedication wouldn’t be enough. Perseverance over seven years helped and so did getting to know the character she was going to play when funding eventually came together.

“In some ways, Stacie has been a part of my life for a long time,” says Page, 28, before the film premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.

“I felt close to Stacie, and the story in general, and it was out of respect that we wanted to make sure Stacie would be happy.”

Certainly, pundits have praised the Peter Sollett-directed movie, thanks to the performances of Julianne Moore, who plays the police officer, and Page as the car-mechanic girlfriend.

Rounding out the cast is Michael Shannon, who plays Dane Wells, Hester’s supportive partner on the force. In a co-starring role, Steve Carell portrays Steven Goldstein, the flamboyant founder of the activist group Garden State Equality, which championed Hester’s case.

So the actors were hand-picked. And as Page puts it, “it was a no brainer” to ask the Oscar-honoured Moore to play Hester. “Thankfully, she said yes.”

On set last October, the actress and producer discovered that Moore was exceptional in ways other than her ability to win multiple awards.

“You can feel Julianne’s curiosity and she works so hard and she’s so meticulous,” Page says. “I think the special thing about her is that she really loves her job. And off camera she’s open and friendly and goofy.”

Another bonus arrived with Moore’s experience: “One of the other benefits of working with Julianne is that she has played real people, and I had very little experience in regards to that.”

Moore, too, wasn’t shy about coming up with suggestions, including recommending her Crazy, Stupid, Love co-star Carell for the comic relief role of the gay rights’ activist.

“He did us a solid,” says Page of Carell, who agreed to adjust his busy schedule to be in the movie. Although, she admits, “I kept ruining takes with him because I was laughing so much.”

Still, the cast and crew seriously dedicated themselves to the challenging task of finding the right tone.

“Our goal was to shoot things in a natural and intimate way,” Page says. “It had to be authentic and truthful, and we had the actors who could do it. And that’s what I love about acting in this — being in a space with another person and it’s honest but separate.”

Despite Freeheld’s rough road to the big screen, Page says she enjoyed the producing side of the business almost as much as acting. “I like getting moved by a story, and selling it and developing it,” she says.

In fact, she’s producing and starring in an untitled film with friend Kate Mara, which is set to start filming early next year. “It’s also a love story between two women,” Page says.

‘I kept ruining takes with Steve Carell because I was laughing so much’