The Umbrella Academy actor sat down with Oprah Winfrey for his first interview since coming out as a transgender man in December 2020. During the chat, which will start streaming on Friday, April 30 on Apple TV+, the 34-year-old got candid about which part of his transition brought him the most joy, telling the media mogul:

“Getting out of the shower and the towel’s around your waist and you’re looking at yourself in the mirror and you’re just like, ‘There I am.’ And I’m not having the moment where I’m panicked.”

AH-Mazing! Such a simple, mundane experience for most of us is a profoundly joyous experience for Elliot. That really says something!

The star went on to reference the top surgery he had gotten, telling Oprah while tearing up:

“It’s being able to touch my chest and feel comfortable in my body for the- probably the first time. Tears of joy.”

Later in the interview, the Canadian explained why he decided to share his coming out journey publicly, adding:

“In this time we’re in right now, and especially with this horrible backlash we’re seeing towards trans people, particularly trans youth. it really felt imperative to do so… It felt important and selfish for myself and my own wellbeing and my mental health and also with this platform, I have the privilege that I have and knowing the pain, and the difficulties and the struggles I faced in my life, let alone what so many other people are facing, it absolutely felt just crucial and important for me to share that.”

So admirable of him!

In addition to his sit-down with O, Elliot chatted with Vanity Fair about his journey, revealing that he “absolutely, 100 percent” knew he was a boy as a young child. He dished:

“I knew I was a boy when I was a toddler. I was writing fake love letters and signing them ‘Jason.’ Every little aspect of my life, that is who I was, who I am, and who I knew myself to be. I just couldn’t understand when I’d be told, ‘No, you’re not. No, you can’t be that when you’re older.’ You feel it. Now I’m finally getting myself back to feeling like who I am, and it’s so beautiful and extraordinary, and there’s a grief to it in a way.”

He also doubled down on the importance of his coming out publicly, telling the outlet:

“The rhetoric coming from anti-trans activists and anti-LGBTQ activists—it’s devastating. These bills are going to be responsible for the death of children. It is that simple. So [talking to Oprah] felt like an opportunity to use a wide-reaching platform to speak from my heart about some of my experience and the resources I’ve been able to access—whether therapy or surgery—that have allowed me to be alive, to live my life.”

We’re so happy Elliot is finally able to live life as his authentic self, and that he’s using his platform to inspire others to do the same.