Elliot Page admitted he regretted making homophobic joke in Juno

Juno remains a beloved coming-of-age flick, though star Elliot Page said there’s one joke that made the final cut that he since regrets saying.

Released in 2007, the film from director Jason Reitman and penned by Diablo Cody follows the titular youngster (Page) falling pregnant after having sex with high school pal Paulie (Michael Cera).

Juno initially considers an abortion, but is put off by a pro-life group protesting outside the abortion clinic. The protagonist then decides to put the baby up for adoption, being contacted by older couple Vanessa (Jennifer Garner) and Mark (Jason Bateman) Loring, who really want to have a kid.

Vanessa is too high-strung for Juno and is later revealed to be the one who wants to have a family more than her husband. Meanwhile, the teen immediately clicks with Mark more as they share their passion for music.

As Juno gets to know Mark, the two characters discuss baby names in a scene that Page now regrets filming.

"It wasn’t something I totally registered at the time," Page said of the joke (Fox Searchlight)

What was the Juno joke?

On the sofa, Mark informs Juno that he and wife Vanessa have started talking about baby names.

Mark adds that Vanessa ‘likes Madison’, prompting Juno to reply with the homophobic joke in question.

"Madison? Wait, hold on...Isn't that like a little, gay?” an unimpressed Juno replies.

The joke hasn’t aged well, with Page now fully realising how homophobic it was.

The film received critical acclaim and was a commercial success, grossing $232.3 million against a budget of $7.5 million (Fox Searchlight)

What has Elliot Page said since?

Revisiting the movie and that specific line during an interview with Bustle in 2017, the Umbrella Academy star explained: "It wasn’t something I totally registered at the time, but, of course, now that I’m older I do.

"So many movies I loved as a kid are just rampant with homophobia and transphobia and biphobia, and I’m not excusing it by any means."

Page went on to say he wanted to see 'more representation' in Hollywood, as well as adding that he had refused to recite the problematic joke during a table read of the film's script for Planned Parenthood.

In his memoir Pageboy, published after he came out as a trans man, Page also opened up on the complex feelings he experienced about having skyrocketed to fame thanks to a female role, saying he was left feeling ‘boxed in’.

The movie was a commercial success and ended up receiving four Oscar nods, including one for Page’s performance.