Even though most of us were probably introduced to Ellen Page when she signed on to play the title role in Diablo Cody’s 2007 hit Juno, she’s actually been working in Hollywood since 1997. This is only important because Ellen Page looks like she could have been born in 1997. So, it was a little surprising when I discovered that she’s actually in her mid 20s.
But Page’s trademark youthfulness is part of her draw. Teenage actors are notoriously inconsistent, which is why teen roles are typically filled by people who are far too old to worry about homeroom. And, unlike the entire cast of Dawson’s Creek, Ellen Page is believable as a high schooler.
So when the folks over at Naughty Dog showed off the footage for The Last of Us, it wasn’t entirely surprising that Ellie, the title’s female lead, looked an awful lot like Ellen Page. They needed a vulnerable, young, female protagonist, and this type of role is right in Page’s wheelhouse. In fact, I think a lot of people just assume that Page plays the character.
But she doesn’t.
However, that isn’t stopping people from giving Ellen Page credit for the role. Several Twitter users have been congratulating the Juno actress for her performance in The Last of Us, even though the role is actually played by Ashley Johnson, a veteran voice actress who’s primarily known for her work on Ben 10: Alien Force. And even though this might seem like a hilarious and understandable mix-up to you and I, Page doesn’t seem to think it’s very funny.
“I guess I should be flattered that they ripped off my likeness, but I am actually acting in a video game called Beyond Two Souls, so it was not appreciated,” she wrote in a recent AMA on reddit.
Actually, Naughty Dog noticed the problem long before The Last of Us hit the market, and the company adjusted Ellie’s likeness so that she would look less like Page, but apparently this wasn’t enough.
I completely understand Page’s concern, considering that an actress makes her living based largely on the way she looks, but I have a hard time believing that Naughty Dog knowingly “ripped off” her image. As far as I’m concerned, Ellie looks like a pretty generic, freckled fourteen-year-old, a description that probably wouldn’t flatter Ellen Page. But if Naughty Dog did knowingly model the character after Page, she has every reason to be angry.
Either way, we’ll be able to find out what a digital incarnation of Ellen Page actually looks like when Beyond: Two Souls hits the shelves in October. But, this time, she’ll probably be less upset.