Olivia Thirlby, 36, has been appearing on TV and in movies for nearly 20 years. One of the actress’s breakout roles came in 2007, when she acted alongside Elliot Page, 36, in the beloved coming-of-age film Juno. She played the quirky best friend Leah to Elliot’s Juno, and her character is still beloved by many of the fans who grew up watching it. Over the years, she’s appeared in various roles, popping up in different films and TV shows.
In Elliot’s new memoir Pageboy, he opens up about a variety of subjects, including his gender identity, coming out as trans, and his explorations of sexuality. In the book, Elliot reveals that he and Olivia got very close while working on Juno. Find out more about Olivia here.
Elliot claimed he and Olivia had sex ‘all the time’ while making ‘Juno’
In Pageboy, Elliot said that he felt an attraction to Olivia right off the bat while making the 2007 movie. He said that he immediately felt like she was “sexually open,” and he was immediately taken. “The chemistry was palpable, it pulled me in,” he said.
He said that they stared spending tons of quality time together, and that when they both admitted that they were attracted to one another, they started to have sex regularly. “I had an all-encompassing desire for her, she made me want in a way that was new, hopeful,” he said. “We thought we were being subtle. Being intimate with Olivia helped my shame dissipate. I didn’t see a glint of it in her eyes and I wanted that — done feeling wretched about who I am.”
Besides ‘Juno,’ Olivia has starred in ‘No Strings Attached’, ‘Y: The Last Man’, and more.
While Juno is one of her most well-known roles, Olivia has appeared in a wide variety of projects over the years. She made her debut in the 2006 film United 93. Some of her other major movies include the Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman-starring romcom No Strings Attached (2011), and the TV series The L Word: Generation Q. Most recently, she starred as Hero Brown in the series Y: The Last Man and in the 2022 short Artist In A Field.
She’s bisexual
Olivia came out as bisexual in a 2012 interview with Brooklyn Magazine. She spoke openly about her sexual orientation while discussing a photo project she was taking part in. “For me personally it’s important to be a part of this because I feel it’s a way of me showing gratitude that I live surrounded by a community in which I don’t have to hide my sexual orientation. And no one should have to hide their sexual orientation,” she said. “I am not one hundred percent straight.”
She’s married to Jacques Pienaar
In 2012, Olivia met Jacques Pienaar while working on the film Dredd. While she starred, he was a boom operator. They fell in love and got married in December 2014. After two years, she gushed about her husband in a loving Instagram post to commemorate their second anniversary in 2016. “Two years of mawwage to this handsome fool, my best friend, my adventure buddy, my brother, my boom&vortels, my favorite boyfriend, my everything. Thanks for keeping it weird with me baba. I love you so much,” she wrote.
She loves the outdoors
Besides her acting work, it’s very clear that Olivia is very passionate about getting out and exploring nature. She regularly shares photos of her outdoor adventures on her Instagram. She often shares shots of her and her husband exploring forests and stunning landscapes with gigantic trees.