'The Umbrella Academy's French Dub of Elliot Page Sparks Backlash

The French dub of The Umbrella Academy’s third season is drawing backlash from fans over how Elliot Page’s character was handled.

Page played Vanya Hargreeves during the first two seasons of the show, and after he came out as trans in real life, showrunner Steve Blackman made a point to incorporate a storyline in the series that shifted his character to Viktor Hargreeves instead.

And while that was handled in a way that’s generally been well-received by non-transphobic fans, the dubbing provided a different sort of challenge.

According to LGBTQ Nation, French viewers took to social media after the new episodes dropped to share their frustrations with the jarring change of dub actors between seasons.

Jessica Monceau, a cis woman, originally dubbed the lines for Vanya, whereas Jean-Baptiste Maunier, a cis man, took over in season three. Maunier also reportedly did the dubbing for the first episode of the season, where Page is technically still playing Vanya before becoming Viktor, making things feel even stranger.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many other language dubs may have made similar choices in choosing voice actors for Viktor, although the credits for season three suggest not every dub handled it the same way.

Just last year, the Italian dub of Promising Young Woman faced backlash for using a male actor to record Laverne Cox’s lines, prompting Universal Pictures to apologize and push back the film’s release in Italy.

At the time, it was suggested they could have found a trans voice actor for the part, something that likely would have been beneficial for The Umbrella Academy as well.

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