Homophobic joke in Juno that Elliot Page admitted he regretted saying

It turns out there’s at least one thing Elliot Page regrets from his breakthrough role in Juno.

The Umbrella Academy star gave an Oscar-nominated performance as a pregnant 16-year-old in the coming-of-age comedy, directed by Jason Reitman.

Also starring Michael Cera, JK Simmons, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman, the film follows Juno as the teen navigates pregnancy whilst in high school and embarks on a budding relationship with the baby’s father, the socially awkward Paulie (Cera).

While the 2007 movie remains a beloved, heartily funny cult classic, more recent readings of the story have highlighted some seemingly problematic themes surrounding abortion and sexuality.

Meanwhile, there’s one line in the award-winning script that protagonist Elliot Page regrets saying.

In an interview for the film’s tenth anniversary, the actor looked back on one of the most controversial moments in the film - a joke that hasn’t aged especially well.

Juno, starring Elliot Page, received critical acclaim and four Oscar nominations (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

In the film, Juno U-turns on her decision to have an abortion and instead decides to put the baby up for adoption, meeting adoptive parents Mark and Vanessa, played by Bateman and Garner.

Juno strikes up a friendship with Mark over their shared passion for music, while she initially isn’t so keen on Vanessa.

One scene in the film sees Mark inform Juno that his wife likes the name Madison for the baby, to which the unimpressed youngster says "Madison? Wait, hold on... Isn't that like a little, gay?”

Speaking to Bustle in 2017, Page — who has since come out as transgender and uses he/they pronouns — said he didn’t pay attention to the joke at the time, but has realised several of his favourite films are in some way problematic.

Mark was a little problematic, too... (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

"It wasn’t something I totally registered at the time, but, of course, now that I’m older I do,” he said.

"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 also reminisced on his experience shooting the movie in 2023 memoir Pageboy, where he revealed that he and co-star Olivia Thirlby, who portrayed Juno's best friend Leah, 'had sex all the time' during production.

Together with the role of Viktor Hargreeves in The Umbrella Academy, Page has also been recently seen in dramatic film Close To You, which he also wrote and produced. He voiced the character of Victoria Walker in Paramount+ show Ark: The Animated Series.